To The End, With You
by Juni Onigiri
Summary: Princess Ochako is to be betrothed to Monoma Neito, a scheming prince of a richer neighboring territory. However, Ochako is kidnapped and brought to the most powerful land in the country, to be locked up in a tower with a cursed prince. (Todochako Royals/Fantasy AU!)
1. A Disagreeable Agreement

**To The End, With You  
**Chapter 1: A Disagreeable Agreement

* * *

Under the golden sun, on a patch of earth surrounded by yellow-bells and dandelions, a girl is in severe pain. She clutches her bruised arm and tries to ignore the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

A man with sandy-blonde hair, angry red eyes, and a sword looms tall and strong over her. He's deadly and he knows how intimately she knows it, how he can kill her right now if he so pleases. The corner of his mouth is pulled back in a sneer, showing off a sharp fang. "That's a good way to die on yer little round ass, Roundface. Givin' up?"

"Th-that's a little too harsh, don't you think?" A green-haired man pipes up beside him. She knows that he's less fierce and infinitely more kind than the blonde, but just as deadly when he needs to be.

"Shut up. No-one asked you, fuckin' nerd," the man says, shoving his underling aside. The way the green-haired boy whimpers makes the girl so irritated, she grits her teeth and stands up again, ignoring the scream of all her muscles and flesh as she does so. She picks up her sword, twirls this once in her hand, and without any further preamble charges towards the blonde man with a shout.

Wood and steel clash against each other. She gives it all she has, making the man in front of her grin in approval. She strikes him over and over until she's breathless and sweaty and shaky. The blonde counters all of this fluidly, not looking harried in any way, which makes her more annoyed. Come on, just a little give is all she needs, then-

"You're full of openings!" The man yells. She knows he's frustrated, but she is doing her best.

When all she has is given and she barely has the strength to keep her grip on the sword strong, she feels the floor underneath her disappear, making her fall with her back to the ground and eyes to the sky…

She stops falling, and instead feels strong hands around her. The scent of jasmine overwhelms her senses, and she finds herself staring straight into beautiful, yet entirely unamused, onyx eyes.

The girl thinks that only a few things in life scare her, and one of them is this look in this particular woman's eyes.

She immediately shrinks and makes a small sound in her throat. The two men fighting her probably do the same before they straighten their postures and give the dark-haired woman a salute. "General Yaoyorozu!"

"Good day, Colonel Bakugou. Sergeant Midoriya. Stand down." General Yaoyorozu Momo of Mie's Elite Knights and head of the Princessguard greets all of them sternly as she pulls the girl to her feet. "I hope you have a proper explanation for… this," she says, as she dusts her off and straightens her posture-shoulders straight, feet together, head held up high.

Colonel Bakugou Katsuki scoffs, while Sergeant Midoriya squeaks. "Er… we were training, that's all, General Yaoyorozu! As scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before she has her private lessons with the castle scholar-"

She raises both her eyebrows. "Is that so? Am I supposed to be impressed about your dedication to regularly beat up the crown princess of Mie, Colonel? Sergeant, I did not expect you of all people to forget what day today is."

Midoriya shuts his mouth and focuses his eyes on the ground. She feels a little guilty-he has spent the better part of training asking her and Bakugou to stop so she can prepare for that day's events, but the other two are notoriously stubborn and refused to stop.

Bakugou's mouth goes _tch _as usual. "Well excuse me, General Ponytail. Here I was thinkin' that maybe teachin' this round-faced brat survival skills is more valuable than dressing her up like a fuckin' chiffon cake so we can sell her to those stuck-up bitches from Kanagawa."

Yaoyorozu glares sternly at Bakugou. Bakugou, however, fearlessly looks at his general in the eye-only so few people are as stupidly brave as the colonel, after all.

Before Yaoyorozu can open her mouth to banish him to squiring duties to the depths of hell, the Princess decides to speak up. "'S okay, Yaomomo. I forced Bakugou to train with me and ain't listened to anythin' Deku says. I just lost track o' time, is all."

It's a lie, of course. She has been dreading this day every day for the past month, ever since the King and Queen told her about it. She had hoped that maybe she can get out of it if Bakugou goes overboard and 'accidentally' dislocates her shoulder during training. (Why did he go easy on her today, of all days…?)

Yaoyorozu gives her a concerned look. She must have understood as much, but it isn't her place to say anything about it. Instead she takes Ochako's arm and begins to drag her inside the castle. "You indeed lost track of a lot of it, Princess Ochako. We need to get a move on; we've two hours before Prince Monoma and his entourage arrives, and we can't have you looking, sounding, and _smelling_ like a stable boy during your first meeting."

"Sounds impossible, but okay," Bakugou drawls with a smirk, as he and Midoriya trail behind them. He doesn't stop teasing, even when Ochako shoots him a deadly glare.

Midoriya, always the peacekeeper, stands in between them before they break out into another scuffle. "I'm excited for you, Princess! I can't believe we're going to meet people from Kanagawa! And the next-in-line to the throne, too! I hope I get to talk with them about the history of their kingdom!"

"I'm glad that at least one o' us is happy about this," she says sourly. It's all that Midoriya can talk about for the past few weeks. He seems more excited that Ochako is marrying into that family than she was.

"Now now, Princess. It won't do to throw another _loud_ tantrum over this," Yaoyorozu quips as leads them through hallways and stairwells. Servants step aside as they pass by, gossip forming at the tips of their tongues before the General halts them with her sharp glance. "Think of it this way: today is simply a meeting between the Prince and your parents, the King and Queen long may they reign. For today at least… you aren't getting married."

"Yet," Bakugou supplies unhelpfully to Ochako's gloom. Yaoyorozu glares at him for that. "What? There's no use sugarcoating this shit. Their royal majesties are giving their daughter to that rich bastard so that the rest of us can survive the next winter. Who, by the way, comes from a long, dignified line of inbred royals notorious for being fucked in the head-"

"_Colonel._"

"-with any luck, that Prince you're meetin' later is on the only-slightly-fucked-up side of the family," Bakugou continues, undeterred by Yaoyorozu's stern look and Midoriya's stammering. "So you just have to worry about, ya know. Getting married to some creep you don't know."

Ochako feels like crying and throwing a tantrum again at the end of Bakugou's rant, because as crude as he is, he hit the nail on the head. She knows he has a lot of opinions about how her parents are running the country-that is, he thinks they're doing a fucked-up job of it-but she also knows he's just protective of her, too. He takes his job as the second-in-command of the Princessguard very seriously.

The general gives Bakugou a look that refuses to dignify his words with a response.

Sensing Ochako's gloom, Midoriya gives her one of his most comforting, sunshine smiles. "In any case, I don't think you have to worry about Prince Neito, Princess! His circumstances are a little different from the other royals in their line, you know. The Queen Mother is from a different kingdom across the sea. He spent a lot of time studying law and politics overseas and just recently came back to the country… people say he's a genius! And also, the women of the land think he's very good-looking!"

Ochako frowns. "I don't care if he's smart or handsome. I don't want him. I don't wanna be involved in a political marriage. I mean if I had to marry someone, I'd rather marry you, you know."

She's joking, of course. Or, half-joking. Actually, if Ochako were being completely honest with herself, maybe she'd admit that she wasn't joking at all. Midoriya Izuku, an earnest boy with freckles who isn't even a Lord, captivates her so. She likes how passionate he is with getting stronger and learning new things. She also thinks that the way he blushes easily is very endearing.

And right now he's doing just that, blushing and stammering so fervently at her not-joke joke that Bakugou looks like he's close to slapping him to his senses. "Y-y-you sh-shouldn't say those things, P-princess! I might lose my head for that remark, h-hahahahaha!"

"And besides, Princess, you haven't even met the Prince yet," Yaoyorozu says, thankfully giving Midoriya some time to recover. "Don't you think it's fair for all parties involved to offer at least your consideration?"

Ochako puffs her cheeks. "What's the point? I don't think anyone's going to call this off if I tell 'em that I wanna marry for love, not money! Man, I wish I wasn't born a princess if I was just gonna be sold off to another country..."

Yaoyorozu sighs. "I understand your concerns, Princess, but please… many other things are at stake. As your most trusted confidante, I am _begging_ you to sit through the meeting with due grace and dignity."

They reach the door of her bedroom. She nods curtly at Bakugou and Midoriya, who salute her and step away without further comment. When they're alone, Yaoyorozu straightens her shoulders again, contemplation making her beautiful raven eyes shine.

"Yaomomo," Ochako says, the misery in her heart making it feel heavy. "I _really _don't want to do this."

The tears are stinging the corners of her eyes again. Yaoyorozu wipes them delicately with a lace handkerchief, and tilts her head up with a gentle smile.

"You're strong, Princess. You can do this," the knight says softly. "Try not to think of the country's expectations too much. Just… try to get to know the prince. With any luck, it'll take just one look for your heart to accept him."

She scoffs. "Really? Love at first sight? I didn't think that you of all people would believe in that, Yaomomo!"

And fat chance of that happening with her and Prince Monoma Neito, when she already loathes him and his obvious political ambitions.

The general laughs. "What can I say? I am a romantic at heart, despite my occupation. Now." She opens the door, revealing a small army of maids armed with dresses, cosmetics, jewelry, and other trappings, ready to receive her. "It's time to fulfill your duties as a royal, your highness."

The princess wrinkles her nose at the assault on her senses. She briefly considers running away there, Princessguard be damned, but she knows that Yaoyorozu, Bakugou, and even Midoriya would not hesitate to take her down and restrain her if that's what it takes for her to cooperate.

Without another word, she relents and submits herself to the uncomfortable primping.

* * *

Now freshly bathed, perfumed, tied-up in a corset, and stuffed in a heavy pink ball gown, Princess Uraraka Ochako sits next to their majesties King Keisuke and Queen Hanako in their designated spots in the throne room. Trumpets blare, announcing the arrival of their esteemed guests.

Prince Monoma Neito, first of his name, heir to the Kanagawa throne, etcetera etcetera. Ochako doesn't process the entire string of pompous titles when he walks in the room with his small party of attendants. She tries not to keep her eyes on the floor and to actually look him in the eye, if only to appease Yaoyorozu, who looks at her meaningfully during this entire display.

She meets Prince Neito's eyes at first, sees the odd color between blue and grey that makes her feel like she's shivering in a storm. His golden hair is shiny and perfectly styled, not a strand out of place; skin pale and smooth, without blemishes or scars or any evidence of hardship. He wears a dark military jacket with assortments of buttons, medallions, and trappings that shimmer under the lights of the room.

Seeing Ochako, he gives her a dashing smile that would make most girls swoon. All she feels is an uncomfortable twist in her gut.

"Your majesties." Monoma bows gracefully and with a flourish. His entourage falls on their knees in front of the royal family. "Thank you for giving us this privilege of meeting you on this glorious day."

"Thank you for travelling so far to meet with us, Prince Neito," the King says, as Monoma kisses their hands in turn. "It must have been quite a long and tiring journey."

"Not at all," the prince chirps, the charming smile not going away. "These troubles are nothing, if it is what it takes for me to meet such a beautiful princess."

She can almost hear everyone swooning happily over that remark. Ochako smiles at him politely, hopefully not too uneasily. She bows in a graceful way that would make Yaomomo proud and answers in a proper, learned accent: "You flatter me too much, my Prince. The pleasure is all mine."

She thinks her greeting is odd to her ears, but the court seems sold on it. Her parents are at least ridiculously happy, especially when Monoma kisses her hand. His lips feel soft and cold, his eyes even more so when he looks up at her with that smile.

"This is going so well," the Queen gushes happily. "I suppose we should all move on to the dining hall! We have much to talk about, Prince Neito."

They turn to move in an interesting procession, the King and Queen walking ahead of everyone, shamelessly whispering their approval to each other. Prince Neito motions for Ochako to walk next to him, offering his arm in turn. She weakly accepts.

_This isn't so bad, I guess, _she thinks awkwardly to herself, as she keeps a loose hold on the Prince's arm. She has to admit, this Monoma Neito fits the look of all the charming princes she has read in her fairy tale books, the ones with noble steeds travelling across vast, dangerous territories to rescue fair maidens from towers guarded by monsters. Although, feeling the thinness of his arm, she isn't sure if he has used the sword on his hip in combat, ever.

Behind her, she hears a slight scuffle. She knows that it's probably Bakugou being grumpy, held back by Yaoyorozu and Midoriya. She'd noticed that he'd been throwing dirty looks at the green-haired knight on the Prince's entourage, who might have been sticking her lizard-like tongue in retaliation.

It might be bad for her to wish it so, but she hopes that for once Bakugou loses his temper and ruins everything. Ah, maybe not, it might get him sent to the gallows, but still-

"Princess Ochako?"

She blinks and stares at an empty chair in front of her, and then at Monoma.

He laughs. "This is where you sit, right? Next to her Majesty. I apologize if I am mistaken."

She blushes. "Ah, beg yer pardon for spacin' out-I mean, for my inattention, your highness." She cringes internally at the slip of her accent. Thankfully, this only seems to amuse the Prince, who assists her to her seat with all the grace that befits him.

Her parents give the prince an awkward smile, and then stare meaningfully at Ochako. _Don't make a fool of yourself, _they might as well have told her out loud, with the concerned looks on their faces.

They settle down with the royal family seated at a large table overlooking their subjects and royal guests below. Among them, Yaoyorozu sits at a strategic spot where she can jump right in front of Ochako should the need arise. Bakugou is next to her, perhaps at a spot where he can easily jump in front of the Prince, to attack him should the need arise. Midoriya is next to him, ready to restrain the blonde should he attack this table, or the one next to them.

The Prince's entourage is also an interesting group of people. The green-haired girl with lizard-like eyes has a purple leather vest etched with scales over a white dress shirt instead of a proper guard's uniform. She seems to have stopped bothering Bakugou after her superior officer has reprimanded her: a beautiful woman with long, red hair, tied in a ponytail cradled over one shoulder. Her teal eyes would look sternly over at the Prince's direction on occasion, as if to tell him to behave himself. Next to her, a large man with silver hair and an odd, steel adornment covering his eyes seems to be over excited about all that is happening.

All of them have an intimidating air about them despite the pleasantries. Ochako feels that Monoma's personal guard aren't anyone to be challenged so easily, and if things went wrong, then…

The king and queen are seated at the center, other miscellaneous relatives seated next to the king. Ochako is seated between the queen and the Prince, while a gloomy, purple-haired man dressed in a dark suit situates himself quietly at the end of the table next to his liege. A shiny medallion in the shape of a rook, bearing the coat of arms of their kingdom, is pinned on his left chest.

"My steward, Lord Shinsou Hitoshi," the prince introduces briefly. "He is required to be where I am at all times. Quite a bother to be guarded and advised so closely, if I were being completely honest."

Ochako smiles warily at the man, who smiles politely despite the teasing laughter. His tired eyes meets hers for a moment, studying her quietly. She falters; it feels as if she's being judged, read. Hypnotized.

And then, as if nothing happened, he shifts his gaze steadfastly in front of him.

This leaves her disoriented and almost makes her miss the next witty thing to fly out of the Prince's mouth. Amused laughter surrounds her. She barely has the wits about her to smile as prettily as she can and maintain eye contact with him.

Massive plates of food are served before them: beautiful cuts of fatty fish, fresh shellfish, brightly coloured vegetables, meats and pies and breads, cooked in a Western fashion. Bright cakes and meringues, glutinous sweets, and rows and rows of mochi with various colorful fillings are also within her reach. All of Ochako's favorites, which is sad because she immediately loses her appetite once the discussion begins around her.

"Now then, Prince Neito. I suppose now is a good time as any to talk about the collaboration of our kingdoms?"

With a raise of his pretty blonde eyebrows, Monoma bows in agreement. "Of course, your majesty."

_Collaboration, _Ochako thinks glumly. Just a pretty word for negotiations and transactions.

She sips her glass of wine quietly as the discussions take place, hardly listening to any of it. It is clear how little choice she has over this deal by the way they speak over her and only leave her room to nod and smile, pretty and polite and quiet.

_This blows, _she thinks spitefully, catching Yaoyorozu's eye. Her general gives her a sympathetic look, but also gives her a slight tilt of the head. _Bear with it a little longer, Princess, _her eyes seem to say.

After eating a sliver of the meat pie and allowing the polite conversation pass through her, Ochako hears her father say, "It's settled then," along with a joyful clap of his hands. "We look forward to having you in our family, Prince Neito."

"As do I, your grace," the golden-haired prince says, his hand extending gracefully. "Thank you for bestowing the honor of your beloved daughter's company to me."

"Brilliant," Queen Hanako says, practically swooning. "Isn't this lovely, Ochako? To be betrothed to such a fine prince as this, in just a week's time! I suppose you're giddy about this too!"

Ochako giggles with some difficulty. "I'm… speechless."

Prince Neito looks at her with a glint in his eyes similar to frost, but he gives her a winning smile all the same.

A toast is called soon after that, along with music and drinking. Prince Neito stands from his chair and bows in front of the King and Queen.

"If I may be so bold, your majesties. I had hoped for a few quiet moments to speak with the fair Princess in private. I hope this isn't too presumptuous."

She freezes in her seat as the Queen bounces in hers excitedly. "Oh, not at all! The palace gardens are a sight to see, and the moon _is _full and bright. Ochako, darling, won't you show Prince Neito the flower paths?"

"Of course, mother," she says, taking the prince's hand as daintily as she can. Once she stands, her knights and his knights stand up in unison, their armors and weapons resounding as they do. The purple-haired lord stands as well and trails some ways behind them as they walk.

She shows him very mundane things: the courtyard, where the soldiers practice; the watch tower and the armoury; the library, where she spends a few hours of her day studying with her teacher; the flower garden, with its brightly pigmented yellow bells and begonias. The moon is just as her mother has said, hanging high, bright yellow against a clear night sky.

A beautiful night, perfect for romance… were it not for their fully armed knights tensely marching and standing behind them.

Prince Neito clears his throat awkwardly and turns to them. "Princess, you don't mind if your associates were to leave us alone for just a short while?"

Ochako blinks. "Oh, you mean to send my knights away?" She doesn't mean to sound so uneasy. She has never been to any place without at least Yaoyorozu standing close behind her.

Predictably, Bakugou reacts before anyone else. "As if we'd leave the Princess alone with you Kanagawa bit-"

"_Colonel,_" Yaoyorozu barks authoritatively, cutting him off before the rude remark gets out. She bows low in front of the displeased Prince. "I apologize, your majesty. While I understand that privacy with the princess is ideal, we cannot simply leave and-"

"It should be fine to leave 'em alone a li'l bit," the lizard woman says with a smile. "I mean, they are gonna be married, might as well let 'em have a proper date, right? I don't think there's anything dangerous 'round these parts, unless you Mie guys are hidin' somethin' from us…"

Again, Bakugou makes a face like he's about to erupt. Yaoyorozu puts her hand in front of him, while Midoriya physically holds him back.

"Lady Tokage, please don't speak to our hosts so rudely, especially not after how kindly they've received us." The orange-haired knight sighs in exasperation.

"I'm not being rude," Lady Tokage says slyly. "If anything, we're the rude ones for stickin' around here, intruding in their privacy."

"Don't talk back to Lady Kendo like that! Talkin' like a thug in front o' the princess, that's really improper, right?" the silver man bellows, making everyone flinch.

"Sir Tetsutetsu, stand down," the redhead reprimands with even more exasperation. She turns to Yaoyorozu, appearing apologetic. "However, General Yaoyorozu, I do agree with Lady Tokage's sentiments. I think it's in poor taste to hover over them like overprotective chaperones. We shall stand guard from a distance as well, my Prince."

"Thank you, Lady Kendo," Monoma says, bemused at the exchanges that took place.

"You are welcome. And do try to control yourself," she says, almost like a threat. Turning to Ochako's Princessguard, she offers another polite smile. "Perhaps tell us about your kingdom, while we wait for them?"

Midoriya nods enthusiastically at that. "Of course! And in return, please answer my questions about yours!"

The chatter between the knights fade along the hallways, and soon Princess Ochako finds herself alone with Prince Monoma Neito.

"Finally. I thought your minions would never leave," he says with a huff. "That blonde one-Colonel Bakugou, was it? He seems to have the temperament of a rabid dog, don't you think? I commend you for how you can stand having him around you all the time."

Her mouth instantly twists at that. "That man you call a rabid dog is a knight, my prince. A proper lord, and a close confidante of mine."

Monoma hums. "Well, the company you keep is certainly interesting, Princess. Your subjects as well, and the rest of your kingdom. Quaint, with many… _colorful _characters."

"I'm glad we amuse you so, my Prince," she says with thinly veiled sarcasm.

He laughs at that. "Correct. You especially, Princess Ochako, amuse me greatly. Your beauty, your charm, your obvious spite towards me."

She gives him a surprised look, morphs it into a glare when he laughs at her reaction.

Her mouth opens to protest, but he cuts her off. "You've done a stellar job of being civilized, which is more than what I can say about some of your military men… but it's obvious that you have not been enjoying yourself, or my company. Not that I mind. I'm relieved that I can be myself around you so early in our relationship."

She looks at him levelly, trying not to let the growing irritation show. "I see. So, you brought me out here to call me out for being displeased about our… collaboration, my Prince? Or to see how many vague insults you can sling at me before I react in an unladylike manner?"

"Not at all. I had an honest attempt to charm you, but you would call me conniving if I did that. At this point I doubt that such obvious measures would work on a woman like you."

She narrows her eyes. "Should I say thank you? Beg your pardon, but this doesn't sound like a good start to our partnership."

"I suppose not. But I am promised your hand, and I will get it no matter how you feel about me." He chuckles derisively. "I just want to make sure that you won't do something silly like running away or eloping with some lowborn scoundrel."

She'd chop off her hand if it would keep him away from her, but she doesn't say it out loud. She gives him a good and proper scowl instead. "Not even pretendin' this time, your majesty? I dunno why you'd pick such a poor princess from a poor kingdom to marry ya."

"Is that all?" Monoma chuckles at the blatant disregard of her accent. His hands go out dramatically as if he's been waiting to explain himself from the start. "As you know, princess, kingdoms have all sorts of rules. Many of them silly, but passed off as necessary. In my case, it is that I cannot inherit the throne unless I am married. And as you can imagine, an ambitious fellow like me wants that throne quite badly. A place in your throne is a pleasant added bonus. And in your case..."

He gestures to the space around them with a flourish, "It seems you cannot keep this place unless you wed someone like me."

Ochako grits her teeth. "I can rule Mie without a king. I am within my rights," she says, even though she knows it's a silly argument; it's no secret that the coffers are empty and the people are suffering because of the high crime, and she might not have a kingdom to rule when she comes of age.

He laughs mockingly. "How daft. While I'd love to see you try, I am working against the clock here. And I am trying my best to get you to cooperate with me, Princess, so kindly hear me out."

She tilts her head and crosses her arms, wordlessly allowing him to speak again.

"I prefer you over the other princesses, Ochako. Your kind father doesn't ask for much, just assistance that my kingdom can give without much trouble. It's not as simple in the other kingdoms, you see." There's a restless twitch in his fingers, and she knows that he's irritated. "They want me to prove myself. They want my gold, my territories, my military. It's ridiculous how the others want to intrude on King Todoroki Enji's land, and how they're willing to squander _my _resources for it."

His laughter is bitter and manic at the same time, his charming facade all gone. Ochako watches on with growing discomfort.

"Interesting, isn't it? Shizuoka is such a blessed country, with its technological marvels and magic. Not like us, small and insignificant. Doesn't it irritate you, Princess? Doesn't it make you want to sneak up on them and blow them all away?"

She doesn't know the correct answer to the crazed, measured look in his eyes. "No. The Todorokis haven't done anything bad to us."

Monoma sighs. "You are more naive than I thought, Princess. Where do you think those drugs on the streets outside of your castle come from?"

She narrows her eyes. "Those are criminals. That's different-"

"Like I said, naive." He sighs dramatically again and shakes his head. The condescension is dripping, making Ochako grind her teeth loudly. "You have much to learn. Hopefully after our engagement, I can get you to open your eyes and understand my ambitions. If not as a proper lover, perhaps as an accomplice? I am willing to make you less ignorant about the world."

He steps in her space before she realizes, and holds her chin. She's forced to stare in those stormy eyes despite her prime instinct to look away.

"I can teach you about other things as well, Princess," he says with a wicked grin. "Your spirited animosity, paired with this charmingly round face, really makes me look forward to more… intimate settings."

"You-!"

Her sword-fighting arm raises of its own accord to slap him right across the face. It gets close enough that her fingertips make contact with his cheek, but she isn't able to hear the satisfying sound of her strike. Instead, she stares dumbly at her wrist, captured by a strong, pale hand.

Shinsou Hitoshi glares at her coldly and squeezes her wrist to the point of crushing. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Princess. He bruises easily," he drawls, with a deep and scary voice.

Monoma rolls his eyes in false annoyance. "Really, Shinsou, it's despicable how you just come out of nowhere. You've disturbed such an invigorating argument with my beloved fiancée."

"My apologies," Shinsou grits out, forcing Ochako's hand down. "You really don't want that hand against your face, your majesty. She's a lot stronger than she looks."

She frowns at the tall lord. She is able to discern that he's a lot more rational than the prince, at least, if not just as disconcerting. "Since we went out of our way to intimidate each other, I thought we agreed about not having our associates close by."

Monoma shrugs. "I did tell you that my steward is required to be near me at all times, treasonous words or not. Don't worry, he won't say anything to anyone that will incriminate either of us."

"And you have been saying too much," Shinsou says tiredly. "I thought you would have at least offered her your deal by now."

"A deal?" Ochako asks suspiciously.

"I was getting to that," the Prince says sourly. Turning to Ochako, he sighs. "Well, Princess, we thought of this deal because it is obvious that we won't fall madly in-love with each other at this rate."

"No kidding," she mutters under her breath, and she hears Shinsou hum in agreement with her.

Monoma ignores her and gesticulates dramatically again. "No matter what happens, my dear, we will have a grand and elaborate wedding with all the necessary things-glitter, glamour, a ten-foot cake, a hundred doves, half a thousand witnesses from all over the country. After which, the way I see it, you have two choices."

Ochako rolls her eyes as he goes into another prolonged monologue again. He really does enjoy hearing himself talk, doesn't he?

He puts two perfectly manicured fingers up as he continues. "The first of it, of course, is I become King and you become Queen, our kingdoms unite and we remain happily married for the rest of our years to come. An heir would be ideal too, to keep you company in the palace. It's the best deal, I think. Your kingdom will be secure, and I get to rule two kingdoms, more if things go according to plan."

She taps her fingers impatiently at her arm. "Really? That's the best deal for you-to give you my territories for you to rule, while I become your quiet little wife at home?"

"Don't forget _pretty." _His look is diabolical when he speaks again. "You haven't heard your other option, my love. It's not as ideal."

"Please don't call me that."

He shrugs, unaffected. "The other option has to do with the fact that divorces are legal on our jurisdiction."

She raises her eyebrows at that. He laughs again. "Of course that will catch your interest. Well, can't say I'm not offended. Anyway, in this setting, we become king and queen, but only for as long as I need you to. I can't guarantee how long that is, though-my people do clamour for a queen, and I might not get their support in a lot of important campaigns if I let you go very quickly. But after a number of my ambitions are fulfilled, we can go our separate ways-me on my throne, and you in your little spot back here."

"You'd give my land back to me, just like that?"

He nods. "Yes."

She narrows her eyes. "All of it?"

"Yes, all of it." As he gesticulates wildly again, Shinsou looks at her meaningfully, warningly. "Your castle, your fields, your army… your debts. All of it will be given back to you, as it is on the day before we are married."

When she flinches at _debts, _he laughs. "I tend not to do favors for free, my dear. If it were to come to that, I'm afraid it won't be just your debts plus interest at that point. I would have your kingdom pay back mine for our assistance, as well."

She feels her cheeks flare angrily. "That's… exploitation, and you know it, you… you power-hungry brat!"

Her body tenses and moves forward on its own accord, a growl escaping from her mouth. She doesn't even know if she means to attempt another hit on his smug person, but Shinsou pulls her back at a safe distance from his prince.

He tuts, shaking a finger at her when she's out of reach. "I much prefer the term purposeful? Strategic? Driven is a good word too."

"Don't forget obnoxious," Shinsou says with a sigh. He releases Ochako from his grip when she calms down somewhat.

Monoma blatantly ignores that slight and approaches Ochako again. His hands are clasped behind him, in a show of non-aggression. "So those are my thoughts, Princess. I hope you're not offended; I simply have goals, and I need you to achieve them. You know… I could have come up with worse deals, but you are interesting to me, so I tried my best to be kind. In the end, the choice is yours to make."

"Those aren't the choices that I want," she mutters, her fists clenched painfully at her sides. "I never asked for any of this."

Monoma hums. "We don't always have a choice now, do we?" He turns and waves at the far end of the garden, where the king and queen begin to approach them, along with their respective guards. "Oh look, everyone's here. Better smile and hold on to me like a good fiancée ought to, Princess."

His arm extended to her feels like a personal insult, but her parents are smiling so brightly at them, so expectantly, like they finally found the answer to all their problems. She sees Midoriya too, genuinely excited seeing her next to the prince, as well as their other subjects. Yaoyorozu and Bakugou are staring at her carefully, waiting for her next move.

She takes a deep breath, takes Prince Neito's arm, and matches his grace when they walk.

She does not smile.

* * *

"All that sighing won't make that text any easier. You know that, yer grace?"

She puffs her cheeks and looks up from the thick, boring tome detailing the history of the country to the bright blue eyes of her teacher. "Sorry, Professor. I've got other things on my mind than the economic aftershocks of the battle of Kamino 157 years ago."

"158," the man says, lazily leaning back against his seat. "And what's with this professor shit? I told you to just call me Dabi, right?"

She peers at him with mild scorn. He isn't dressed in his proper scholar robes like he's supposed to. Instead he's wearing a slightly tattered shirt and trousers, showing off the patchwork of burn marks on his skin. His dark hair isn't even brushed today. Anyone would call him a vagrant first and the princess' personal educator last.

"I'm _supposed _to call you that. Or Lord Dabi. If Yaomomo sees us like this, she's going to have another fit about us being improper and unbecoming vassals."

"I'm not a proper lord. I'm just some homeless kid your parents took pity on and adopted. So I don't count." He shrugs. "You ain't thinkin' about Yaoyorozu, though. You're thinkin' about that prissy brat from Kanagawa you're gettin' engaged to next week."

She groans and hits her forehead against the musty volume. "Why did you have to remind me? I'm tryin' to forget about my impending doom, you know?"

"Gotta face reality sooner or later, brat," Dabi says with a lazy smirk. "He ain't that bad? I mean, he isn't ugly. I dunno why you're so dramatic over this."

She scoffs. "I… just don't like him, okay? And I don't like that I'm gettin' married just for the money!" She almost tells him of Monoma's true nature and catches herself on time. Might not be a good idea to run her mouth off while their engagement isn't proclaimed far and wide yet. "Gosh, how am I gonna get out of this? I really don't wanna marry him!"

Dabi hums. "You know, there's a way for you to get outta this-"

"What is it!" Her head snaps up so fast it makes a sound. Her teacher chuckles.

"Solve the kingdom's debt and crime problem before the week is over."

She groans and lets her head drop on the textbook again. "Haha, very funny. Like a naive little brat like me, who isn't even allowed to go out unless I'm heavily guarded by my private army, can figure out how to do that…"

The scarred man chuckles and stares at her with interest. "You know I don't literally mean that you have to solve this shit in a week. I'm just saying, if you start to figure out how to save the country without borrowing Kanagawa's gold, then you don't need to marry that pretty blonde bastard anymore, right? You can take over, make that nerdy broccoli kid your king, become the Dowager Empress until you're a hundred and one."

She blushes furiously at that. But also stares down on her hands, unconfident. "That would be nice… but I don't even understand what's going on outside the castle walls."

Prince Neito had told her about the drugs, and Shizuoka. How much of that was true?

"Then I guess… you gotta go outside the castle walls…?" Dabi says slowly.

She huffs. "I just told you that it's not simple, _my Lord. _There's no way that I can explore freely without the Princessguard hovering about me-"

"Then you sneak out. _Duh,_" Dabi says with a snort. When she makes a face, his eyes dart to the closed door, and back to her again. "Your castle ain't exactly the most secure place on earth, you know. There are other ways out of the castle if you know where to look."

The look on his face compels her to whisper her reply. "... are you… you mean, you're just going to-"

"Mhm." He tears a bit of their arithmetic exercises and begins to draw a simplistic map of the castle gates and his secret exits on it. It takes him only a short moment before he's done and shoves this in her hands. "I didn't tell you anything. But if you want a way out, then… that's a way out."

She knows that life isn't safe and pretty outside the castle. There are robbers, murderers, people who sell women and children to the greedy and perverse. And the matter of the rings that circulate opium and other stimulants that they can hardly control...

She shivers upon the prospect of seeing it, but those are her people outside the walls. She needs to be brave for them, if anything.

"Why would you give me this?"

Maybe she looks a little too suspicious when she regards Dabi, but he doesn't look too offended by this. "There's only so much I can teach ya with your ass on the chair, kid. I'm a firm believer of learning by doing, if ya know what I mean. And personally, I'd rather have a leader who knows the world outside rather than some pretty sheltered brat who learned politics from a book."

She sighs. "So I'm that pretty sheltered brat right now, huh."

"Pretty? Nah, you're just a brat, plain and simple."

She almost throws the tome at his head. He holds her back, burning hands on her forearms, and laughs as she keeps on struggling. "In the end, it's your choice," Dabi drawls with a lazy smirk.

She eventually stops trying to injure him, relents, and shoves the piece of paper in her pocket. It's precisely the right moment, because Midoriya comes in the library soon after that, politely informing the Princess that it's time for her violin lessons.

She gives Dabi a polite curtsy and a more decisive nod and follows Midoriya out of the library.

* * *

A day of planning her escape passes. The next morning, before the sun rises, she gets up and dresses herself in the most common, scruffy clothes she has.

Her room is at a secluded wing of the castle. While her princessguard rests close by, a few minor castle guards patrol the hallways and the walkways outside, as regular as clockwork. There's not a big window of time where she can make her move, but there will be soon. She just has to wait for that little moment, where there's nobody outside her room, or underneath her window…

_Now. _

As quiet as a mouse, she opens her window and hops to the ground ten feet below. Her landing is a little clumsy, but not as loud as it could be, and she's grateful. She hides in the shadows and peers at the shoddy little map that Dabi scrawled out for her in the darkness.

The halls are empty, with only the echoing steps of the palace guard sounding off the walls. Ochako avoids them and manages to sneak into the west wing, where a secret exit will lead her to the unused dungeons under the moat, and then outside the castle walls. The city would be visible from there, and then…

What will she do exactly, once she's outside? All she has with her is a canteen of water, a short sword, and a small bag of gold and silver and copper. Her royal seal is hidden somewhere in her right shoe. All of this for a clumsy attempt at reconnaissance. She needs to see her people's problems up close and personal before she can make the first attempts at a solution.

She finds the secret exit. It isn't difficult at all to push the heavy doors and to descend to the darkness with just a candle light.

The dungeons are empty and slightly smelly, but it's nothing she can't handle. The exit is just where Dabi says it would be, its door rusty but gives easily with just a slight push. It's interesting how smoothly things are going so far.

Before she knows it, she's outside the castle, just in time to see the first rays of the sun break through the horizon. The cold air enters her lungs and awakens her body with a sense of freedom like never before.

The city is just beginning to wake as well-men and women moving about opening their shops and setting up their stalls as if they've been awake at the break of dawn. A mixture of scents invade her nostrils-fritters, ale, oil, steel and grease, horse dung-and they wake her up further. She tries to keep her excitement down as people pass her by without giving her a second look.

_This is my kingdom, _she thinks excitedly.

She walks as naturally as she can, seeing the market district by herself for the first time and not through the windows of her carriage. She buys and munches on an apple and a stick of fried frogs and sits on the wayside.

It isn't too long of a wait before something happens.

"Thief! Someone help!"

A man rushes past her with a bag of money that obviously isn't his, while a woman wails.

She swallows as the man get away. _This is just recon, Ochako. Don't do anything stupid. _

"Thief! Thief!"

_Don't do it. _

"My savings! Please, someone, anyone…!"

She bites her lower lip.

_Just a peek, then… there might be something I can do-_

Hiding in the shadows of the rows of stalls, she follows to where the robber has gone. It's difficult following him through the convoluted back alleys, each one getting darker and narrower and grimier as she goes deeper.

Before she knows it, she's lost the thief, and she's staring at a narrow street with wide-eyed waifs and children in rags staring at her in fright. A small woman who could be her age is shaking and sweaty, walking up to her and grasping her shoulders in desperation.

"L-lady, you got silver? Copper? Please, ya gotta g-give me some… just a little bit, anything helps..."

Up close, she sees sallow skin with scars, discolored gums and teeth. She knows it's from the illegal teas circulating around this place. "Please let me go-"

"No way, pretty little thing."

A hand clamps on her shoulder and turns her around, making her stare into a big man with an evil smile. "Wow, lookit that, I ain't seen such a good-lookin' wench. You kinda look like the princess, yeah? You're gonna be our next bestseller."

She yelps and reaches for the short sword in her belt. Her hand comes up and cuts him across the face and chest, but it's too shallow. The man grabs her wrist and twists them behind her back, pushing her down. "Feisty too," he says, with a lick to her ear that makes her want to vomit. "We got a few perverts who would pay good gold for entertainment like that."

"L-let me go, you scum!" Ochako seethes, kicking her legs out. She scrambles for all the lessons on self defence that Bakugou has taught her so far, but she's too weak to execute them. The man only grunts at her attempts and drags her along the street.

"Nope, you gotta pay for cuttin' me, sweet cheeks. I gotta get some of that angel tea in yer body to calm you down, I guess."

She struggles against his grip until her arms are to the point of breaking. Tears sting the corners of her eyes. This is it, this is the end, her stupid plans have got her in trouble, and Yaomomo, Bakugou, and Deku aren't there to help-

The man gives a strangled cry and loosens his grip on her all at once. She blinks at the sudden freedom and turns around and sees the vestiges of great, red wings that fade as soon as she blinks.

"What the hell?" Some other thugs come out of the shadows, knives gleaming in their hands. "Who the fuck are you and what have you done to our boss?!"

They're speaking to the man who's suddenly standing in front of her-not that tall, with delicate hair the color of wheat and the smile of a drunkard. He wears a dark set of robes that look refined and foreign, and a pair of large gloves used by raven-keepers.

The blonde man smirks and steps in front of her. "How do you do, fellow thugs? I apologize for the intrusion, but I was just passing by, doing dastardly deeds and such, when I heard this young lady make sounds of distress… I just couldn't help myself."

Ochako's mouth gapes at the ridiculousness flowing out of his mouth. The thugs ready their knives and approach him. "A pouf who ain't mind his own business eh? Let's see if you can smile after we gut you!"

They don't get a chance. A surge of energy overwhelms them all, making the thugs, the waifs, and even Ochako collapse to the ground. Large, red wings made of pure energy sprout out of the man's back and light the street up to the end of the alley.

"I suppose this is good-bye, chums," the man with wings says with a smile. With a wave of his hand, the feathers break off from his back and fly towards the thugs, stabbing them through the shoulders and making them fly up and above the slums.

He moves his hand again, and his wings disappear. From a distance, Ochako hears screams and a crashing noise, and then eerie silence.

The waifs have run off by this time, leaving her alone with the man. She swallows and dusts off herself, gives the most unrefined bow she can muster. "Thank you kindly, milord," she says with a blush. "I… dunno how I coulda made it outta there by myself."

The man laughs brightly. "It's my pleasure, your highness. I couldn't very well leave the princess of Mie alone in the hands of those traffickers. That's a little too distasteful, even for me."

She falters and pales. "Ah… since when did you…"

"Since you snuck around the marketplace," he says with a wink. "You aren't as subtle as you think, Princess Ochako."

Her face falls. She takes in the look on his face, his appearance, the glimmering silver and red button on his chest. "So, my lord," she says carefully. "I did not know we were expecting a visit from Shizuoka."

The robes, the seal, the powerful magic. Of course this is a nobleman from Shizuoka, probably a vassal of King Todoroki Enji himself. She's surprised it took her this long to figure out, even though this shady back alley is the last place where a man like him belongs.

"You weren't," says the man, red eyes glinting in the morning light. "I was being honest when I spoke to those thugs, you know. About passing by, doing dastardly things and all that."

"D… dastardly things, you say."

Instinctively, she steps back away from him, but he steps forward. The smile on his face falls, replaced by a sharp gaze that reminds her of hawks hunting their prey.

"Yes," he says, great wings with gaps in their plumage spreading out of his back once again. "Kidnapping, if we're being specific."

Ochako does try to run away, but it isn't even a moment when she falls to the ground, blood red feathers wrapping around her wrists and legs and body and mouth.

The last thing she sees before a feather wraps around her eyes is an apologetic look on the man's face as he kneels next to her. "Sorry about this," he mumbles, before she feels herself carried out in his arms, and feels the ground beneath them disappear as he flies.

* * *

**AN: **For day 4 of Todochako Week - Royals AU! What, another multichapter au?!

This is Safri's brain child, only brought to life by semi-meticulous planning on both our parts! More illustrations will be added later, perhaps in the next update. We hope you enjoy this! - juni


	2. The Tower

**To The End, With You**

Chapter 2: The Tower

The feathers disappear eventually, after which she regains her vision and the use of her limbs. Once she's able to see, Ochako finds herself with a mouth full of hay and various body pains from being thrown about the back of a wagon.

"Hey, you're awake. Finally."

She bolts upright and glances around wildly. The inside of the cart is dark, with pinpricks of light from the gaps in the wood. She sees the owner of the voice seated quite comfortably at the other side.

Even though he's changed into commoner's clothes and has gotten rid of his red-and-silver pin, she recognizes him: golden hair and red eyes rimmed with dark edges like a bird of prey. The sharp look in his eyes contrasts with the friendly, open-mouthed smile he gives her as a greeting, as if he didn't just kidnap her or anything awful like that.

She had planned to respond to his greeting with a displeased grunt, but the carriage keeps rocking and she feels herself turning green instead.

"Sorry about the rough ride, your grace," he says after a particularly violent bump in the road. "It'll be at least another day of this. I suppose we can stop and buy herbs for travel sickness if we must, but..."

It's a challenge to move at all without her spilling all the contents of her stomach, but she manages. She pulls herself against the opposite wall and stares at her kidnapper dangerously. "Who are you, and where are you taking me?"

"Secret. And… secret." The smile on his face is lazy and amused and very infuriating.

She instinctively reaches out for the short sword attached to her hip, surprised that it's still there at all. She aims the point of it at the level of his face. "You... I shoulda known that you were just a rogue pretending to be a noble! I demand you answer me right now!"

He raises both hands as if to appease a child throwing a tantrum. Annoying how he isn't threatened at all by her blade. "You might be right about me being a rogue pretending to be a noble, your highness. But I have to tell you, it's not the best time to answer your questions."

"And why not?!"

He shrugs. "Because none of what I have to say will make sense. It's the sort of thing you have to see to believe."

Losing her temper, she throws the sword, aiming it right at the center of his chest. But right before it makes contact, the sword stops in mid-air, pulled and blocked by two red feathers. The weapon floats harmlessly to the man's right hand, dropping its handle onto his open palm.

Darn these obnoxious magicians from Shizuoka!

"Now that was unwise, Princess," he drawls lazily, twirling the sword in his hand. "If I were an actual rogue, you'd have given me the perfect pretense and an efficient weapon to kill you. Or maim you. Or worse."

She glares at him, despite the fear making her heart thud. He looks like he contemplates on throwing the sword back at her, but instead stabs it on the floor.

"Fortunately for you, I need to keep you alive and well until we reach our destination. My employer and I are counting on you for many important things, so it'll be both in our best interests to keep you free of any unseemly stab wounds or other similar ailments."

Counting on her? This man seems to be joking about everything and it's hard to take him on his word. She puffs her cheeks in annoyance. "You wanna keep things vague? Fine. It won't matter once my general finds out that I'm missing. Not only will our army look for you, but Kanagawa's as well."

He tilts his head in amusement. "Kanagawa? I didn't know that you were already officially engaged to Prince Neito."

She stammers. "W… well, not yet, but…"

"Oh! That's interesting." The lazy smile on his face grows ever more cloying and annoying. "You think the prince will scour the entire country to find you, even if he hasn't officially laid claim to you yet?"

She hates that she has to admit that Monoma's political schemes might be her only chance to get out of this situation. "He is promised my hand, and he told me that he will get it no matter what."

The man raises two blonde, feathery eyebrows in interest. "You do know how that boy thinks, right? How scheming and calculating he is? Because I do. If it's too much of a burden to get you back, he might decide that saving you is too troublesome."

She knows he's just riling her up, but why does he have to make so much sense?

"Besides… there is also the matter of calling for a missing persons search," he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "In that, they generally don't happen unless the person is declared missing. Which in this case, you don't have to worry about that happening, your majesty."

"What are you talking about?"

The man shrugs. "Good question! Truth be told, I've forgotten the main point of contention in our conversation! Sometimes I talk so much that I don't know what comes out of my mouth. I just like talking in general. So perhaps-"

What is it with these blondes and their nonstop mouths?! Ochako spits out, "No, what do you mean they won't notice that I'm missing?"

But before the man can say anything more, the cart screeches to a sudden halt. Ochako loses balance and falls on the pile of hay, making the man chortle.

"Oh, we're at our first border checkpoint," the man says brightly. "Means we're closer to your new home. Isn't that great?"

She gives him a dark look.

"Now now, as much as I deserve that look, we have to deal with our first obstacle: the Check Point! There are two ways we can go about this, _Ryoko dear_," he tells her as he pulls her out of the pile of hay and pulls out the straw from her hair and face. "First is you cooperate with us while the patrolmen check us out. Which means you pretend to be my daughter, travelling with me and my sister out in the front."

She hears a woman's voice from outside, abrasive and fierce. She must have been the one driving the cart then. "And if I refuse? If I tell them who I really am and tell them that you kidnapped the princess of…"

She falters when she wiggles her toes and doesn't feel her royal seal in her boot. _How did they-when did they… _

The man hums and looks at her paling face with interest. A feather floats around her face and disappears, but she feels it tickling her chin. "We do the second thing. It might not be as enjoyable for you, though."

She scowls, but says nothing more. He grins victoriously.

He takes her arm and carefully lets her off the cart. Outside, she sees the guard-post bearing the seal of Mie. A silver-haired woman with strong arms and white rabbit ears are speaking to a couple of guards, who seem very amused.

She turns to them, and the ears disappear. "Oh, there's my brother Hoku and my little niece, Ryoko! Isn't she cute?"

The man has his arm around Ochako, pulling her with him when she refuses to walk. "Heya, Miru. Gents. Y'all seem to take a fancy to my sister's magic, I see."

The guards blush. "Y-yeah, we've never seen magic from Shizuoka up close! Ah, don't worry, we won't arrest you for that display ma'am, I mean we were the one who asked to see it, after all…"

"Thank you kindly! I'd be in trouble with milord if I get arrested for illegal magic use, ya see!" The woman named Miru glances at the man named Hoku, and gives him a meaningful, twitchy grin. "Wanna show 'em your passports, brother dear? Anytime this century'd be nice."

"Hm? Ah yes, beg yer pardon," says Hoku. Ochako raises her eyebrows at the easy way he shifts into a less refined accent. He makes a show of shuffling around his pockets until he pulls out two well-worn documents and nonchalantly hands them over to the guards.

The guards look at the counterfeit passports with some scrutiny. From her spot, she sees all the stamps and signatures, not a single one appearing inauthentic. "And your business in Mie was?"

"We got a sick fella back home," the blonde man says with a rehearsed sadness. "Our bosses' kid-lil Souta, that's his name-suddenly got a terrible illness. Real high fever, like his skin's on fire. And real ugly welts all over the body-"

"I heard of that," one of the guards says with pity in his eyes. "A lot of those cases outside o' Mie, I heard. So I guess you went here for milkflowers, right?"

"Yep, exactly. Bought these from a generous lady in the market district. Can't believe the flowers that grow here!. Ain't none o' these back at home." He pulls a bag of flowers from his side and shows them to the guard. "I got my receipt here somewhere if you need it, just gimme a sec-"

"No, that's fine." They then turn in unison to Ochako, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Now, you say this li'l lady here is your daughter?"

"Yup!" the man chirps, patting Ochako on the shoulder. "Can ya greet these gentlemen nice and proper, Ryoko dear?"

Ochako glares at him pointedly before curtseying in front of the guards. "Afternoon, sirs."

"Afternoon, miss Ryoko," they say, tipping their hats simultaneously. "What a beauty you are! How old are you?"

Before she can answer, Hoku cuts her off. "My _little princess _is turning sixteen this winter, matter of fact! It's bittersweet, how they grow up so fast..."

In truth, she's turning eighteen, and she wonders at the necessity of that lie. She is in awe of how easily this person weaves truths and untruths and makes it all convincing for those who hear him.

"Oh, I get you," the guard says, nodding in understanding. "Next thing you know, some young upstart is gonna come to you, asking for her hand in marriage-"

"Aye… I fear that day is coming soon. Are fathers ever ready giving their daughters away? I don't think I will be; I have nightmares over it," Hoku says with a dramatic sigh. He glances at Ochako very quickly, red eyes glinting in a way that makes her sick.

"That's true! But ya gotta yield, for true love, you know?" The guard says sympathetically and waves them off. "I guess you folk better hurry and get those to your sick friend. Thank you for your cooperation."

"No, thank you kindly, gents," Miru says with a grin, obviously relieved that the chat is over. She turns and pinches the man at the side and mumbles so Ochako barely hears it: "No need to be so chatty with 'em, Hawks."

He shrugs. "No need to be so showy with them either, Miruko."

The woman-Miru or Miruko, Ochako isn't so sure about their names anymore-rolls her eyes before turning her attention to Ochako. "This guy's awful, right hun? Don't worry, I totally understand why you tried to kill him back there. You can sit up at front with me if you want to. No bindings or magic or anything. It'll be about a day before we reach the city, and it'll be awful if you spend the entire time trying not to vomit."

She blinks. "Is… that okay?" Sitting up at front, without any bindings whatsoever? Is this a new thing that kidnappers do?

Hawks laughs. "How merciful of you, Miruko. Fits your reputation as the Rabbit of Death. Very fitting."

Miruko scowls and gives Hawks a rude gesture. She glances at the guards, who are preoccupied with the next carriage. "Shut up. Unlike you, I _don't _enjoy kidnapping princesses or cooperating with what _that man _wants without question. I happen to have a conscience."

Her voice is low and burning with very real anger. Ochako feels the heat of it and strangely begins to trust the woman for it.

"Big words, but in the end, you're still doing what he says, aren't you? Orders are orders, after all."

Miruko has the good sense to glower at him, but says nothing more.

He gives her a cheesy smile, and then pinches Ochako's cheek. She immediately swats his hand away. "I don't mind if you sit with her up front, Ryoko dear. It's not like my sister would allow you to run away before I could marry you off to the love of your life, you know?"

Is he still talking about Prince Neito? Either way, Ochako doesn't like how patronizing his voice is. "I'm sitting with her," she says evenly.

"Suit yourself." And with an ominous wiggle of the eyebrows, "Enjoy the fresh air while you can, little princess."

Hawks disappears into the carriage, unfazed by Ochako's dagger look. Miruko huffs and claps her on the shoulder with one strong hand. "So… anytime you're ready, your highness."

"... all right," she says, climbing on board next to her.

The open road stretches in front of them, wide and winding. Ochako tries to ignore the sense of foreboding as the highway blurs past her.

* * *

They pass two more checkpoints where Ochako has to pretend to be Hawks' 16-year-old daughter. They stop two more times after that, just for the horses to rest for a while and for Hawks to roast wild birds for supper.

Otherwise, the two strange people don't stop the delivery. Miruko does most of the driving. She doesn't sleep, even though Ochako nods off next to her. Her language seems to be naturally brash, but Ochako much prefers speaking with her than Hawks. Even though she refuses to answer the questions related to her kidnapping, she is at least apologetic over it and doesn't patronize her, not even once.

But Ochako, unfortunately, will not be kept in the dark for too long. Just as Hawks had said, they reach their destination after another day of traveling. She realizes this when they exit the main road and turn to a great, walled city.

Before they get close, Miruko tells Ochako to hide in the back of the cart. "I'm sorry, your grace. You do not want anyone to see you in the city."

"But-"

"Trust me… it might make things worse," Miruko mutters.

That doesn't make Ochako feel better, but she has no choice but to comply. She'd rather not experience Hawks' feather magic again, nor does she want to see what the alleged Rabbit of Death is capable of.

In her spot in the pile of hay, Ochako peeks through the gaps in the wood of the cart. She sees surly guards dressed in blue and red and armed with muskets, with the symbol of Shizuoka etched on the shiny pins on their chests. Hawks comes down and wordlessly shows them something shiny: likely the silver-and-red crest that Ochako sees him wearing in the alley.

"Lord Hawks," the guards say with a synchronized bow of their heads. "Please wait. We'll have a group escort you to the castle."

So he _is _highborn. A very important one that warrants the full attention of all the guards in the garrison.

"That's kind of you, but we have no need for any gaudy processions," the blonde says with a chuckle. "We know our way to the castle ourselves."

"Of course." The guards nod at each other and open the gates without a word.

The begin moving again as Hawks climbs back at the back of the cart. Ochako eyes him warily, expecting smug and/or smart words from his mouth again, but he remains oddly silent, for once. It makes her even warier.

When he notices her sharp gaze, he allows a smile that almost looks wistful. "Smile, Princess, you're almost home. Might as well take a peek at our grand old city while you can, eh? It should be okay, as long as you remain within the nice and private confines of our luxurious hay cart."

"While I can," she repeats sourly. "You're making it sound like I'll never see the light of day again. That ain't makin' any of this appealing."

He chuckles. "Nothing about kidnapping is appealing, your grace. I could write essay after essay about how unappealing this is, have it published in the papers, go to the public square and have all the philosophers and vagrants debate with me. Unfortunately, my employer does _not _have the luxury of resorting to appealing things, considering the problem at hand-"

"What is the problem at hand, anyway?"

He smiles, raises two feathery eyebrows, and says nothing more.

Ochako huffs and pointedly does _not _look around the grand old city, as he suggested.

They spend the rest of the trip in silence, with Ochako burying her face into her folded-up knees and Hawks silently watching her. She feels the cart curve through streets that sound narrow and crowded. Eventually the noise dissipates, and they're riding up a hill for a long while.

Out of nowhere, the cart comes to a halt, and along with it Ochako's heart, just for a bit. Hawks hops off the cart and offers his hand to her, which she refuses to take.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Princess." Red flickers from behind his back, making her shiver.

Suddenly it's all too real that she's sent here for something possibly _sinister _and there isn't anything she can do about it. Miruko stands behind Hawks, a disapproving look in her burning red eyes, but she keeps one hand on her sword all the same, ready to do something to Ochako if she rebelled.

In the end, she relents. She's able to take a good look in her surroundings and sees that they're surrounded by very tall brick walls with no way out. Hawks leads the way as they descend down a flight of stairs into a basement, with winding pathways that split every now and then. Torches light the way, casting her captors' faces in shadows that somehow emphasize the breadth of their power.

The walk feels like it lasts for hours, but eventually at the very end of it they reach a set of ornate doors. Hawks knocks in a set pattern, and falls silent.

"Enter."

Hawks and Miruko open the door, revealing a simple room with ornate tables, chairs, shelves, and a roaring fireplace. It looks very much like a man's personal study, like a slightly smaller version of Ochako's beloved library where she's spent many hours poring over boring old books with Dabi.

(It's only been two days, but it feels like years since then…)

Needless to say, she's surprised seeing this after seeing nothing but empty hallways from hours of walking. More surprising is the giant-of-a-man in rich robes who turns and regards her, with blood-red hair and striking blue eyes that seem too familiar, and the way that her captors suddenly fall to their knees in front of him.

The man's mouth twists in distaste upon seeing Ochako's stance, but comments no further. "At ease." His voice is strong and ruthless, the kind that would compel anyone to fear for their lives.

Hawks and Miruko stand. "My King, your imposing gait and robust health pleases your loyal subjects greatly. I hope this evening finds you well," the blonde man says, voice saccharine and tone overly polite. Oddly enough, his tone sounds more mocking than sincere, and not at all unexpected if the way the man rolls his eyes is any indication.

Ochako doesn't pay this any mind, as amusing as it is. _My King, _Hawks had said, proving her very first instinct on seeing this man and his seal completely correct. And again the reality of this odd situation sinks in and makes her feel sick.

"Spare me," the King says with a pointed scowl. He stares at Ochako once more, the distaste not going away. "Is this her?"

"Yes, your majesty," Hawks says proudly. "Princess Uraraka Ochako, first of her name, heir to the throne of Mie."

Ochako doesn't know whether to bow in front of the king of the most powerful kingdom in the country, or to glare at him defiantly for stripping her of her freedom. She settles for a stare that could be cold and/or curious and a proper dignified stance, just as Yaomomo had taught her back home.

King Enji wrinkles his nose. "The disguise is more than effective, Hawks. Do you have any evidence of her heritage?"

Hawks nods and holds out his hand in front of Miruko, who wordlessly gives him what was missing from Ochako-the royal seal she's kept hidden in her boot. "Apart from appearance alone, your grace, we found this among her possessions. As well as this short sword that only nobility ought to have."

Enji appraises these items briefly and grunts in approval. "This is sufficient."

"Your highness?"

Cold eyes glare at Ochako, ones that paradoxically burn holes through her bones. She keeps her eyes on him, though, and refuses to back down.

She can't show him that she's afraid, King or not.

"Get her cleaned up and sent up there," he tells Miruko without an ounce of sympathy or hostility in his voice. "Make sure she appears presentable. Give her a fighting chance against him."

Ochako doesn't even get a chance to try to understand all the vague things he's saying when Miruko grimly bows and says, "As you wish, your highness."

With that, Enji turns away from them, Hawks remaining in the room and muttering further reports of things that Ochako can't hear. Miruko grabs her by the elbow and escorts her out of the room.

Again, another long walk through dark hallways that seem to last forever. "Princess."

"Yes?"

In the darkness of the halls, Miruko's red eyes glow with a curious emotion. Her voice is low when she murmurs, not looking at the Princess at her side. "If you wish to survive the night, you have to trust in him. No matter how absurd it may seem. All right?"

Ochako blinks in curiosity. "I don't understand, _who _are you-"

One ear forms from the side of her head and presses on Ochako's lips, keeping her silent.

"Trust me," Miruko says, just as they reach another unmarked door.

Miruko leads her in, and shows her everything: a four-poster bed, a desk and chair, a dresser, a closet with dresses made in her size. A smaller room leads to a bath, already filled with steaming water and surrounded by bottles of perfumed soaps. A roaring fireplace. A small table, where dinner is already set up. A window with iron bars, from which an evening rain falls beyond.

A pretty little prison, in other words.

"This is all yours, your majesty. Just this room, though," Miruko says with a bow. "The door will be locked once I leave. A protective barrier of magic will also keep you from getting out through the underground exits. I suggest you stay put until…"

She pauses and looks at Ochako with all sorts of pity shining in her eyes. "Shit. This is why I hate doin' this."

Ochako's next inhale is shaky and damp. She obstinately rubs a hand against her eyes, hating them for bursting to tears in front of her. "No. Go on, please."

She doesn't need her pity. Not anyone's.

Miruko, to her credit, really looks like she hates doing this. "Just… don't do anything rash, Princess. I'm tellin' ya this for your own good."

Ochako nods and keeps her mouth shut. That would be what Yaomomo will tell her if she knew she was in this position. _Take everything in with all due grace and dignity… _

The knight takes note of her silence and turns back without another word. As promised, the door clicks shut behind her. After a beat, she feels pure energy pulse underneath the earth-the barrier that Miruko mentioned, locking all the underground exits.

Silence, over the entire room.

… _and then, strategize. _

When she's sure that Miruko's so far away that her rabbit ears couldn't possibly pick-up any sounds from within, Ochako springs into action.

_First, survey the area… _

Her room is not small, but not too large either. There is only the barred window next to her bed, with a view of a courtyard, woods, and stone-and-mortar walls in the distance. She is perhaps ten or fifteen feet above ground. The bars are too strong to destroy, too narrow for her to fit through, but when she attempts to put her hand out, no resistance meets it.

_So the windows have no barriers. _She wonders why there are limits on usage of this magic. While it is energy consuming, surely the elite of Shizuoka have much of that to spare?

Well, it isn't her problem. It is a solution, though. It means that all she has to do is find a window she can fit through, figure out a way to exit it without injuring herself at the drop, and then somehow make it through the woods and past the wall without being detected, or getting eaten by wolves.

She takes a deep breath. Okay, it's fine. She's had to think on her feet faster with Bakugou and Deku, and solve harder problems with Dabi and Yaomomo. She can do this.

She takes the knife from the set meal and runs to the closet. Sparkling dresses made of fine silk and cotton, with colorful lace and intricate embroideries, greet her as she opens it. Stone-faced, she tears through them without remorse, braids and fashions the shredded garments into a sturdy rope that can withstand her weight.

She doesn't know how long the rope is, exactly. She hopes it's at least more than twenty feet long. Well, it's better than nothing. Tying the rope around her waist and arms, she goes to the locked door and kicks the knob open with all her might.

It takes her five tries and a possible broken heel, but eventually the door gives. She peeks through the darkness of the hallway and cautiously steps out.

It takes a while before her eyes get used to the darkness, but once they do, she sees that there's nothing much to see: just the sealed underground passage, the barrier magic humming and pulsing beneath. Apart from brick walls with absolutely nothing in them, there is only a dizzying spiral staircase that leads so high up her neck strains seeing where it ends.

Something in her blood spikes seeing where the stair connects to a room. A warning, a sense of foreboding, a very wise voice in her head that tells her to stop this madness and keep to her room like Miruko said.

Miruko, the only trustworthy person in this place… who bends the knee to that King who ordered her abduction.

_Orders are orders, after all. _

She bites her lip and steels herself. One uneasy foot before the other, and above the other. Step by step.

She's nervous; her footsteps echo all over the hollow tower, louder in her mind than they are in real life. No one comes to stop her, but if they do, she has a rope and a steak knife and hopefully enough survival skills.

It takes her forever, but she finally makes it to the very top of the tower. There is a single door there, ridiculously ornate and out of place with the dreary stone interiors, giving her no clue of what may be beyond it.

She steels herself again. With shaking hands, she touches the knob.

It opens without her doing anything further.

She steps inside, gingerly at first. Looking around, she sees a bedroom bigger than her own, with a bigger bed and more tables and chairs, all in disarray; shelves with books, some of them face-down on the floor, some left open and pages torn; a desk with papers and ink spilling over it. The room looks like someone angry has had its way in it and abandoned everything mid-tantrum.

What a mess, Ochako thinks, but worse than the mess is the smell of ashes and coals lingering in the room. A quick look at the papers and she sees that many of them are scorched, as are the sheets and the carpets and some of the wood of the furniture.

But she doesn't bother with it more than necessary. What's important is that the room is empty, and there is a gust of wind and cold coming from the open and unbarred windows at the other end of it. She rushes straight to them, hopping over the toppled chairs and papers, and peers over the edge.

Just like the window below, this one is not protected by any magic. She is very high up, perhaps fifty feet above ground. One look at the ground below and she knows that her makeshift ropes won't reach it. Considering everything, it doesn't take her long to figure out the possible scenarios facing her:

One: she tries to climb down with her little makeshift rope against the rain and winds, and falls to her death.

Two: she somehow makes it alive to the ground, but gets captured on her way to the woods and/or the wall, and quite possibly get killed in her struggle.

Three: she goes back to her room and stays there and wait for that "him" to come get her, and possibly die anyway.

Four: she gives it her all and somehow makes it out alive, and find some way to get back to her kingdom all by herself, with just the clothes on her back.

Her heart pounds wildly in her chest, thinking of all the options, even though only one of them is acceptable. Besides, if she has to die, she refuses to do so without a fight.

Just as she begins unwinding the rope from her body, something sounds behind her: a cracking of _something, _only a few feet away from her. Shit, she forgot option five: someone catches her in the tower and kills her where she stands.

She doesn't think to look back, instead focuses on tying the rope against the frame of the window, letting it drop just midway of the tower-

"_What are you doing?_"

_Shit, _this isn't enough time to escape, she has to jump _now- _

And so she does, sparing no time at all to look at whoever it is calling out to her.

And instantly regrets it, because as soon as she does, a particularly strong gust of wind blows and slams her against the wall repeatedly.

_Shit! _She focuses all her energies into holding onto her rope, but it's futile. All the water is getting in her face and all over the slippery cloth of the shredded dresses; her head and shoulders hit the wall repeatedly, making her dizzy. Her grip loosens as the assault in all her senses continues, and it's only a matter of time before she has no choice but to let go.

She can't open her eyes against the rain, nor can she hear anything as the thunder rumbles in the distance and the wind blows past her ears, but she senses it: someone… some _thing _made of darkness and matter that doesn't feel natural and makes everything inside of her recoil. It looms above her from the window, watching her struggle.

_Hold my hand, _she hears in her head.

It's difficult, but she dares herself to look up and squint. She can't see very well, but she knows that she doesn't know what she's looking at. It's vaguely human-shaped, something with a single eye that glows dark and sickly against the night sky. A claw is reaching out for her, ready to rend her flesh, and-

When she turns her head to scream, the rope finally gives, and she falls.

Freefalling is an odd sensation: there's no ground, no control, only wind and water and all her fears suspended in mid-air. She closes her eyes, knowing there's no other outcome to this but her death, and waits for it to happen.

Except, it doesn't. She feels sharp claws, hot as coals, clamping on the flesh of her right arm and shoulder, tearing through cloth and skin. She screams at the pain, and screams even more as she is tugged roughly upwards and back across the threshold of the window.

The next thing she feels is the cold stone floor underneath her battered body. A final gust of wind blows before the window is shut with a metallic sound that echoes in the hollow of the room.

After that, silence.

She hears nothing at first but the throb of her head, the steam rising from her right arm, the ragged breaths from her mouth. When her senses come back to her one by one, the pain on her flesh becomes more and more real. She whimpers at first, but refuses to cry any further as footsteps come to her closer and closer.

The thing… that _entity_ that pulled her back to her prison huffs once. She refuses to look at it in the eye. "Who are you and what do you think you were doing back there?"

To her surprise, the voice sounds human. A male voice, softer than the beastly growl she'd expect from the silhouette she saw before, but stern and inconvenienced by the sound of it.

"No-one," she grits out. Her voice comes out shakier than she wants, the pain from the burns intensifying by the second. Oh fuck, what the hell is this-

The man steps closer, but keeps himself in the dark. There's a moment where he pauses, and when he speaks there's obvious hesitation. "You're… hurt."

No shit. She dares herself to look at her shoulder for the first time and sees charred, blackened flesh and fresh blood. What the hell, what happened to her, what has he done? What kind of magic is this?

"You… what are you and what did you do to me?"

The yellow eye glows in the darkness, gazing at her with quiet curiosity. "Why does it matter? I thought you were no-one."

She spits at him, but that takes unexpectedly a lot of effort in her current state. Every minute movement causes the sting and throb of pain to intensify, and she ends up choking back another pathetic sound from her throat. "Your king dragged me here against my will. Ain't it that you'd know better what I am and what I'm here for?"

The eye opens in shock at first, and then glowers upon the mention of the king. "I see they have not stopped this foolishness," he mutters under his breath. "So… are you a noblewoman? A commoner renowned in your small town for your beauty and wit? Another sacrifice sent by my father, to quell the monster? From which territory did the Hawk capture you? And why would you recklessly jump to your death like a fool?"

She grits her teeth. Doesn't try to figure out the words coming out of his mouth. Forces herself to look directly into his eyes. "Let's make the killin' and dyin' part easier without all the silly introductions, eh? You don't need to get attached to a poor girl like me. I am no-one."

Despite it all, he sighs in exasperation. "If I mean to kill you, I would not have bothered to stop you from breaking into a hundred pieces on the ground. Maybe I shouldn't have, if you're this eager to die."

She forces a bitter laugh. "You sound like you want me to thank you for capturing me and mutilating me! I'll like ya even more if ya just... make it quick and easy, please? I mean, a gent like you with… with this dark, Shizuoka magic could certainly… certainly…"

The room begins to spin; her sleeve becomes soaked with hot blood that pools to the floor. All sounds and vision begins to blur. The retort she forms disappears at the tip of her tongue.

The man steps forward; there's some light streaming through the windows, very scant, just enough for Ochako to see his features more clearly if he stepped into it. He edges around the light and walks behind her, keen not to be seen very clearly. When he kneels behind her to examine her wound, she feels searing warmth and cold breath tickling the skin of her neck.

"Don't move," he whispers into her ear, his voice kind to her failing ears.

Through heavy eyelids, she sees a very human hand approach her burns. Carefully, with feather-light delicacy, tendrils of cold touch raw skin, sealing the open wounds and soothing the burning pains of her skin.

It takes him a moment, and when he's done she sighs in relief. The pain is still there, but it doesn't scream as loudly anymore. The entire ordeal drains her of her energy and against her will her body sags and drops, right into the figure behind her.

This might be the worst thing that she could do, given the circumstances, but it doesn't feel like it. The man stiffens behind her, and briefly she feels a flash of heat as hot as coals emanate from one side. Logically she should shy away from it, but her body refuses to move, and when the man's breathing slows, the heat dissipates, leaving her in a cold embrace from behind.

She turns her head, almost drunkenly, forces herself to look into the face of her captor. She sees snow white and blood red hair, onyx and a sickly yellow that dies down to an intense blue, like glaciers, human and monster split neatly in the middle.

"Who are you?" she slurs.

His breath fans over her face, cold and intimate.

He says something, probably his name or a spell or a secret. She doesn't know if it's the monster side of his face that moves, or the human side who looks at her with such pity in his eyes-

No, not pity. Sorrow, maybe. Exhaustion.

It doesn't matter. When she blinks, her eyes do not open again, and she plunges headfirst into a cold darkness.


	3. The Escape

**To The End, With You  
**Chapter 3: The Escape

* * *

"The Princess does not wish to see anyone," the servant girl tells them flatly behind a crack in the door.

"What the fuck do you mean that brat doesn't want to see anyone?!" Colonel Bakugou's scream echoes all over the hallway and perhaps the rest of the castle. Years of hearing this and Sergeant Midoriya still flinches from it. As for her, Momo likes to think that her ears have developed a tolerance for it. Or perhaps it's her hearing going as well...

The servant girl's eyebrows merely twitch in disdain despite the auditory assault. "It is as I said, Sir Bakugou. She does not wish to see anyone. She is _sick _."

"Since fuckin' when?! She had perfect use of her legs when I tossed her ass in the dirt yesterday during training-"

"Kacchan, I know you're just worried for the princess, but I don't think saying that will help-" Sergeant Midoriya stammers.

"Shut up, nerd! These fuckin' bitches think they can boss us around and get away with it-" Colonel Bakugou looks like he's on the verge of shoving the shorter soldier and the maid, just to get through the door. By this time, Momo's patience has also run dangerously low, and she manages to hold her hand out to stop him.

Ignoring his angered sputter, Momo looks at the maid in the eye, a refined smile on her mouth. "I beg your forgiveness, ladies, but whether the Princess is infirm or not, we have a responsibility to be in her vicinity at all times. We are her personal guard, after all."

The maid scowls. "But the Princess mustn't be allowed to-"

"It is not for you to decide," Momo cuts in sharply. "Now. Are you going to allow us inside, or will we have to force our way in?"

The woman begins to shake, eyes darting to the sword on her hip, but the scowl on her face is resolute. Momo is surprised at the maid's perseverance, but she softens when a weak voice speaks from behind her. "It's all right. Please let my knights in."

The maid bows without further question and makes way. Momo walks in, followed by Bakugou who looks ready to punch a lady in the face and Midoriya, who rightfully holds him back.

Now, Momo has heard from the attendants in the castle that the Princess was nowhere to be found in bed before sunrise with her bed rumpled and the windows to her room wide open. But shortly after that, they found her in the toilets out in the hall, throwing up her dinner from the previous night, bile, and empty air. She seemed so delirious that she couldn't speak straight, nor could she explain why she wandered so far away from her own washroom. They put her back in bed, had the doctors see her, and ordered her not to move. She isn't allowed visitors, they said, so she wouldn't tire herself out.

Seeing her on bed, Momo suddenly understands why. She looked small, much smaller than just the day before. Her usually vibrant pink cheeks are paler and takes on a worriesome greyish hue. Her brown hair is a mess over her pillows. Weak brown eyes, without their usual shimmer, struggle to open to look at her Princessguard with as much politeness as her condition allows.

She tries to smile. "Good morning," she says weakly.

"Oh, Princess," Momo says in worry. She kneels at her bedside and grasps her hand-cold and thin, since when did it feel like this? "What happened? Oh dear, I'm so sorry this happened under my watch, this is unforgivable-"

"No, it can't be helped," she says with a weak smile. "The doctors say that I might have just eaten something bad and that they'll do more observations, but we shouldn't be worried about it being contagious… so it's perfectly all right to see you, Lady Yaoyorozu."

Something cold pricks Momo's insides at that statement. "Oh… is that right, your highness? That gives me some relief."

"Yes, doesn't it?" She tries another smile, a brighter one this time as she looks at her other guards. "I'm sorry that they spoke to you like that. I'll tell them to let you in without any arguments next time."

A quick look at her subordinates tells Momo that they must have noticed the same thing. At the same time, the maids are looking at them with eagle-eyed suspicion. The general keeps her tone carefully neutral. "That would be ideal, your Highness. We will need to be extra vigilant now that you're sick. Perhaps one of us should remain in your room at all times? If that is alright with you."

The girl on the bed smiles. Her eyes glimmer in a more energetic way that somehow disconcerts her. "Thank you, Momo! That would be the best."

Face impassive, Momo stands and faces the rest of the Princessguard. "One of us will stay fully armed at her bedside in eight hour shifts. Keep her in your line of vision even when the doctors examine her. Am I understood?"

"Yes, General." Midoriya says, straightening up. Bakugou grunts in affirmation.

Momo narrows her eyes at her subordinates. No, nothing is amiss. She glances at the shorter man. "Sergeant Midoriya, kindly take the first shift in accompanying her… _highness. _"

As Midoriya gives a salute with a nervous glisten of his eyes, the sickly Princess giggles. "Oh! It'll be Sir Deku first! I'm so glad!"

"Sir Deku?!" Midoriya chokes under his breath, before regaining his composure. "Yes, your highness, um… I guess I'll stay by the door to watch you-"

"No, the General told you to stay at the bedside, right? I don't want to feel alone," she says, gesturing for the maids to bring a chair close to the bed. The stammering Midoriya finds himself pushed to the seat to entertain the suddenly energized Princess at close proximity.

"Right," Momo says, nodding to Colonel Bakugou, who's mumbling something about throwing up any second now. To one of the maids, she says, "The King and Queen have sent messengers to Kanagawa to inform the Prince, so expect his entourage to visit soon."

The maid bows and allows them to leave. As the door closes behind them, they hear Princess Ochako's voice babbling excitedly about something to Midoriya, who stammers something in embarrassment back.

They reach the empty hallway, marching in silence. Right before she feels Bakugou's mouth open behind her to say something, she says sternly, "Wait."

She hears his mouth clamp shut after that, accompanied with an affronted grunt. Their thoughts are in-tune to that extent, Momo is proud to say, a result of years of working together. And now as a team they have a new problem to face, namely-

"What the fuck was that?!" Bakugou grits out, as soon as they're in the private confines of Momo's office.

The general leans at the edge of her desk, thoughtfully rubbing her chin. "What do you mean, Colonel?"

He's as irate as ever, but also bewildered, and very much _worried _to the extent that he only allows when it concerns the Princess. "That! _That! _What the hell happened to that brat?! She doesn't sound like herself!"

Momo looks at him sternly. "Have I trained you to be vague when you speak to me, Colonel? Be more specific. Tell me what you have noticed."

Bakugou sputters angrily, but calms himself down enough to mutter in a low voice, "You know what I _mean, _General. I know she's fuckin' sick and all, but everything about her is off. Her face, her accent, they way she moved… how she couldn't make up her mind in talking to you? Lady Yaoyorozu or Momo or General instead of Yaomomo-"

Momo hums thoughtfully. Yes, Princess Ochako has acted oddly the first moment they stepped into her room. It is just as Colonel Bakugou said-her character has suddenly become inconsistent with everything they knew about her. But more than that... "It felt as if I was speaking to a different person entirely."

"Yeah. What the fuck?" Bakugou glares at her. "You saw her up close, General Ponytail. Did you notice anything off with how she looked?"

Was there anything strange? Princess Ochako was pale, but that's to be expected of anyone who spent the morning throwing up. Her hands were thinner than she remembered, but otherwise her hair, her eyes, her voice, her general bodily constitution was the same. Her hands had those pink fingerpads at the tips, in the same shape that Momo remembered.

She's sure that as far as appearance was concerned, who they saw there was Princess Ochako.

Bakugou clicks his tongue. "Then what the fuck was that? Can a stomach flu cause you to lose your mind like that? Or should we worry about other shit happening?"

She knows the worrisome implications of her Colonel's statement. That this isn't just the illness speaking, so to speak, but something else. Poisoning. Hysteria. An insidious disease of the brain, more serious than the doctors have concluded thus far.

Or, knowing the Colonel, his mind has already jumped to worse conclusions: Hypnosis. Enchantments. Possession. Shapeshifting magic.

She knows what a leap it is to think so, but something in Momo's gut twists at that possibility. Perhaps Bakugou has that same gut feeling-the look in his eyes tell her as much. Thankfully he has enough presence of mind not to speak out loud, for fear of being overheard.

Momo shakes her head. "... the doctors have called her condition delirium, though. That will explain any deviations in behavior or personality. And they do say they are treating her for it."

Bakugou's mouth twists sardonically. "So, General. What do we do about this?"

_Investigate, _she tells him silently. "We guard her by shifts, as previously discussed. You shall take over after Sergeant Midoriya, and I watch her by nightfall."

And in between, they hunt around the castle for clues. Any irregularities and deviations. Any sign of a conspiracy. Any clue about the people responsible for this. They have to do it discreetly, away from the nobles and servants, away from Prince Neito and his entourage, and in a synchronized manner; if they rouse the suspicions of anyone who could be involved, it might be worse for the Princess.

Oh, _god… _Momo hoped that she and Bakugou are overreacting _. _The possibility of her suffering in any way under her watch makes Momo ill. She prayed that it really is just an illness that will eventually be resolved.

He seems to understand enough. "As you command, General," he says with a bow.

Momo nods. "By the way, Colonel." She signals him to come closer to her.

The bewildered look is back on his face, but this time for an entirely different reason. He holds his breath and does as she says, just as she leans in closer to speak softly in his ear. "From now on, you must address me in that… that _vulgar _way you tend to do, when it's just the two of us. I won't reprimand you."

If it is shapeshifting magic or hypnosis or anything else apart from illness, it means that there has to be a way for them to confirm each other. This is a setting where they must distrust everybody else, and that might include each other.

"All right, Ponytail," Bakugou murmurs back to her, voice impossibly low. "And, uh… I guess you should call me something too."

Momo considers this. Midoriya calls him Kacchan since childhood. Hence why the name feels wrong if it is not spoken by anybody else but him. "All right. Katsuki, then," she says, after a thoughtful pause. "You may also ask me things that only the two of us know if you are in doubt. I won't be offended."

Bakugou-no, Katsuki-grunts in affirmation and leans back. "Yeah, that's fine."

If it is fine, why is his face so red? Well, it isn't important right now. "I suppose we should report to the King and Queen about the Princess. And we should inform Lord Dabi and her other teachers that she won't be able to make her scheduled lessons today, and find out when Prince Neito is visiting."

Katsuki clicks his tongue again. Momo wonders why he's irritated all of a sudden when he stomps his way out of the office. "Fine. I'll find that burnt steak and tell him to fuck off somewhere else."

The irate colonel kicks the door open and stomps out. As Momo listens to the audacious footfalls fading off into the distance, she finds some relief. There's really no mistaking who that man is, because there really is no-one else in the world like Bakugou Katsuki, is there?

But the Princess is another story. Momo gives herself a few quiet moments to ruminate over the conundrum, and comes up with the worst conclusion each time.

* * *

The first thing Ochako feels is a dull ache in the very center of her brain, throbbing so loudly that she has no sense of anything but her pulse. The shooting pain of her arms follows, from nerves that slowly awaken with all her movements.

She winces and doesn't move. Slowly, the throb in her head dampens, and she hears human voices speaking not far from where she lay.

"... apologize for our late appearance, your highness! Alas, we were not able to stop her from her plans to escape-"

"That's right, my Prince! Ah, she's really a fired-up one, isn't she?! I heard as much from General Usagiyama!"

It takes a while for her to make sense of what she's hearing, but eventually she becomes aware of the softness of a bed, the echo of a wide room, the wind blowing outside the window. The smell of ashes fill her nostrils, but there is no heat. Iron, as well, sticky over her sleeve. She winces at the sensation.

"Oh! She awakens!"

Heavy footsteps thud to where she lay. She thought about staying still and pretending to be unconscious, but she feels the bothersome weight of the strangers' gazes around her, observing every minute movement of her face. And the awareness of the aches and pains all over her body makes it so difficult to stay still…

"Iida, Yoarashi. Give her space."

That voice-that's _him, _with that… That _thing _on him _. _Yellow eyes and darkness and skin as hot as coals. His voice is much closer than she expected. How did she not hear him breathe at her bedside?

She hears the owners of the other voices make baffled sounds and step back. The person next to her exhales briefly, sounding inconvenienced for some reason. "Do you really want to sleep for so long in this place? I wouldn't advise it."

The voice is refined, smooth as silk to her ears, but so flat and unaffected that it annoys her. He was there when she almost dropped to her death, right? And when he burnt her with dark magic and made her almost bleed to death? And now he has the _gall _to tell her off for resting after all that?

Before she can stop herself, she scowls and opens one eye.

She sees one-half of him. Silver hair like moonlight, a dark eye, smooth unmarred skin. A beautiful man by all accounts. A _Prince, _the other voices had said. If she didn't just witness this man almost kill her with giant claws, she would have swooned herself into unconsciousness.

Yet the situation is as such. If she had more fight in her, Ochako would have given him many vulgar choice words. "Are you seriously nagging me to wake up like you're my nanny?"

He looks into her eye, soft mouth in a straight line. "I'm telling you this for your own good."

Ochako opens her eyes fully and sees the other half of him as well. To her disdain, the vision she saw earlier was no illusion: red hair, bright yellow eyes. Pure black skin, shifting every so often that makes it look otherwordly. Steam rises as bright red peeks from cracks in his skin.

A monster?

He tilts her head in quiet curiosity. "What's wrong? Is there anything on my face?"

No, that can't be right. He doesn't sound like a monster. The half of him that looks like one looks different from before too. It wasn't as grisly or demonic as she remembered from before she passed out.

She blinks. "Yes? That black thing on your face? You can't miss it. Might wanna wash your face or somethin'."

Maybe sarcasm isn't the best response to this inane situation. Two men make a simultaneous surprised "Ah!" behind her, while the man stares at her with a hint of amusement in his mismatched eyes.

"That is quite rude, Princess Uraraka Ochako-kun from Mie!" One of the other men in the room, a knight in glasses, steps robotically into her line of vision with a disapproving look in his eyes. "Perhaps you are unaware, but you are in the presence of a Prince! Are you insinuating that his highness is half-blind, or cares so little about his appearance that he has neglected to see that half his face is-"

"Yo Iida! Don't be like that!" The other one, a giant man with a loud voice that shakes the entire tower. "The princess's just concerned over Prince Shouto, that's all! I think it's awesome that she's trynna help him with it, don't ya?!"

Prince Shouto? Ochako looks at the man carefully again, more confused than ever. This doesn't make sense… the crowned prince of Shizuoka is renowned for many things, one of them his dashing looks. He isn't supposed to look like… well, _this. _

"She's being sarcastic, I think," he tells his knights, who look comically flustered at his declaration. "It's not a reaction I expected, all things considered."

By this time Ochako has seated herself up. The Prince, or so he is addressed, leans in closer to her so that she has a closer view of that side of him, and can see nothing else.

"Interesting how you can call this," he tells her, taking one of her hands with his right and pulling it close to that side of his face. He lets her fingers hover over the charred skin; her fingerpads sting with the searing heat emanating from within. "... as just a, what was that? A black-thing-on-my face?"

It's a challenge if she's ever seen one, and Ochako doesn't back down. She stares back at him, unblinking. Her body wants to tremble at the closeness of the fire and dark magic, her hands want to recoil from the fire. But she's able to keep up the brave facade and her hand still enough for her to reply, "Well… it is black. And it's on your face. What am I supposed to call it, your highness?"

He narrows his human onyx eye and lets her hand go. To her surprise the absence of his cold hand on hers leaves her skin feeling empty and odd.

"The other women who had the same bad luck as you saw nothing else but a monster," he tells her flatly.

He angles his head as if to show off the strange part of him, but from this distance she strangely does not feel afraid of it anymore. "I dunno 'bout any of those poor women that your King has kidnapped and left to die in your hands, but I never asked you what they say. I asked _you _what to call it."

"The indignation!" Iida shouts. "How _dare _you speak to the heir to the throne in this accusatory-"

"She isn't wrong," the Prince tells him sharply. His eyes remain on her, black and yellow flashing dangerously. "Or are you about to deny the lives of the women I had _slain _in the past because of my condition, Sir Iida?"

She flinches, despite willing herself to keep brave. She hates how self-satisfied he appears finally getting a reaction from her.

"... of course not, your highness," Iida replies quietly, standing down and looking mollified. He doesn't deny the _killing _part, Ochako notes with some uneasiness.

Shouto nods and addresses Ochako again. "You can call this anything you like, Princess. Monster or black-thing-on-my-face, doesn't matter to me. I don't think calling it a proper name will do anything to the curse placed on me."

"A curse," she repeats, flabbergasted.

He hums, and continues in a tone that only makes him sound mildly inconvenienced. "Yes. A proper one. Pure dark magic, placed by someone hurt and scorned, designed to consume me for the rest of my life unless it's resolved by true love. The stuff of boring fairy tales, in other words."

Dabi told her about this in her lessons: ancient magics that can corrupt and deform a person's body and eventually transform a man into a different creature entirely. That they're usually designed to last for years, in gradually worsening pain, before the inevitable end. From what she remembers, there are only rare instances that curses of that caliber are lifted, and they all have to do with the vague notion of finding a True Love.

"I didn't think these things were true," she admits with wonder, peering into that side of his body with morbid interest.

This earns her another odd look from him. "I'm glad it amuses you so, Princess. Apparently they expect you to solve this problem for me."

Her fascination instantly shifts into rage. "So is this why I was kidnapped?" she blurts out. "Is this why King Todoroki Enji ordered Hawks to snatch me from my home-all those other girls too?! Because you needed someone to lift the curse for you?"

His monster ear twitches, much like an annoyed cat. "King Enji ordered everything, yes, but not because I wanted him to. He needs the curse lifted more than I do, seeing as I'm the next in line to the throne and all."

She grit her teeth in anger. "People have actually _died _because of your father's schemes, and you didn't do anything about it! You… you're just as evil as-"

His eye flashes in that dangerous way again, forcing her into silence. "Careful how you finish that sentence, Princess. You are in the presence of a monster, after all."

Yoarashi steps forward uneasily. "A-anyway, I think yer really misunderstandin' the situation here, Princess Uraraka! It ain't as bad as it sounds, promise!"

"What do you mean?! Am I mistaken that you've killed all those women 'cause they ain't the Prince's true love, and that you got no plans to kill me tonight?!"

"W-well, you're not wrong, but-" Confused, the giant man makes a frustrated sound and mutters, "Iida, come on, yer better at explainin' stuff more than me! Tell her!"

Iida's glasses flash steadfastly as he says, "Your conclusions are indeed correct, Princess Uraraka-kun! We are given the responsibility of ensuring your silence through the termination of your life, should things not go according to King Enji's plan!"

"Nooo, you ain't explainin' it well! Yer just makin' her angrier, see!" Yoarashi bellows in despair.

She looks at them bewildered, and back at Shouto, who merely shrugs. "It is as they said, Princess. I think it's easier at this point to just show you."

She swallows. "You mean-"

"Mhm." Glancing at Iida and Yoarashi, Shouto nods at them and orders, "Do it."

"Yes, Sire!" the knights bellow at the same time, approaching Ochako without an ounce of hesitation.

Ochako cries as she watches the knights descend upon her. She's sure that they're using magic-it's otherwise impossible that Iida, who stood at the other end of the room would appear before her eyes in a flash. Yoarashi, on the other hand, seems to summon the wind from outside to lift him up and fall behind Ochako, grasping her hands behind her back.

"What are you doing?!" she screams. She musters all her strength trying to pull herself from Yoarashi's grasp and kicking Iida away. But all her injuries from before leave her weaker, and the two of them are much stronger than her.

"I apologize in advance for my rougish ways, Princess!" Iida declares, as he grabs one of her sleeves and tears it off cleanly. With another struggle, the shirt is torn off, leaving her with nothing but her undergarments and breeches.

Oh, gods, are they going to have their way with her? And the Prince just plans to watch? How perverted is he, and can he blame it on the curse? Tears threaten to fall as Ochako lets herself scream bloody murder within their grasps.

"Man, I hate this part!" she hears Yoarashi mutter from behind her. "But ya scream good, Princess! I'm sure they heard that from a mile away!"

Inexplicably, the grasp on her loosens, and Iida and Yoarashi leave her on a heap on the bed. Iida, with a disgusted look on his face, takes the torn pieces of her shirt and shows this to Shouto. "Is this good enough, my Prince?"

He nods. "Yoarashi."

"You got it, yer highness!" From behind his massive cape, Yoarashi pulls out a bag with sharp edges jutting out from within. Ochako watches in awe as the giant man empties the contents onto the floor, letting them bounce and roll around under the moonlight.

"Bones?" she mutters under her breath. She watches in further confusion as Iida throws her torn shirt over the mess of bones, bows in front of Shouto, and marches his way to Ochako.

"I advise you to look away from the ensuing event, your highness!" he says, directing her to the direction of the wall.

She doesn't do as he says, of course, and keeps her eyes on the Prince. He nods once to Yoarashi, and holds his left arm out, an animalistic growl escaping from his throat.

Orange flames emerge from the monster side of him, consuming the bones and cloth in a fearsome fire with heat that reaches her from where she stands at a distance. Yoarashi controls the wind around them so finely so that the fire spreads away from them and out the window so that it burns bright against the night sky.

They keep the fires going for a while. Eventually Shouto pulls his clawed hand back. Yoarashi stops his magic as well, and soon there's nothing but charred bones and very few remains of her shirt in the pyre.

Ochako stares at the burnt bones, and then up at Shouto, who only looks back at her with an unreadable look in his eyes.

"So! If anyone asks, we killed ya already!" Yoarashi tells her with a big smile.

"Indeed," Iida answers with distaste, throwing his cape around her bare shoulders, "Although they would not ask her if they assume that she is truly expired."

She looks at them dumbly, and with a quivering voice, mutters, "You could have just explained it to me from the start…"

Shouto looks at her blankly. "You didn't look like you trusted me enough to listen."

Her mouth twists sardonically. "Well, beg yer pardon for not trusting a guy who told me he'd kill me," she mutters under her breath. And he looks like he could do it too-all that raw power in his left side can incinerate any woman from where she stands in an instant.

He huffs, amused. "You are correct not to. I did just kill you, after all. Like I did all the other unfortunate maidens brought to this tower by my very concerned King."

He says _King _with distaste, making it obvious that they do not get along and he disapproves of this scheme of kidnapping women just to see if they match. But it doesn't change the fact that he hasn't done enough to stop his father from doing so.

"So… I assume that once you've 'killed' these women, you strip them of their name and stature and have them live their lives as an entire different person?"

Shouto nods. "Otherwise, it's up to the King to make sure they keep silent over my situation."

"Silent?"

He looks at her meaningfully. "He has many officers and soldiers who will do his bidding without question. Do you remember Hawks? He has more abilities than what he might have already shown you. And he is the most loyal to the king."

She remembers how easily Hawks brought down five men bigger than him with just the power of his wings, and how he captured her and incapacitated her within seconds. She shudders to think of what he has done and what he could do to the other women who did not meet their requirements.

"It's true," Iida adds quietly. "While not ideal, this is the best solution that we have come up with, your highness. Admittedly, it is more complicated than before, because this is the first that we'd have to deal with nobility."

"Yeah," Yoarashi says, scratching the back of his shaven head with a giant gloved hand. "I mean, even if it's just pretend, ain't a simple thing to just kill a princess off. Can ya imagine what would happen in the country when that gets out?"

"There would be war," Iida concurs grimly. He looks at Shouto with a questioning glance. "Are we to proceed with our plan, Highness?"

Shouto crosses his arms thoughtfully. "It's enough just for King Enji and Hawks to assume that she's dead." He gestures to the mess of bones on the floor. "The two of you will escort her through the underground passages as planned, but see to it that she makes it to her kingdom safe."

She looks up at him, surprise plain on her face. "You mean-"

He nods. "You get to go home."

"But-" she stammers, as the two knights also stare at him in confusion. "It's that simple? After being kidnapped by your king, and… and being attacked, and you and your curse-"

Shouto tilts his head in genuine curiosity. "You do not seem as thrilled as I expected you to be."

She shakes her head. "No, I mean… aren't you worried about what will happen to our kingdoms? Aren't you scared that I will tell everyone about what I've seen here, and what you did with all those women?"

"No," Shouto replies simply, much to the consternation of his knights.

"But your highness!" Iida protests in worry. "While it pains me to admit that we have done Princess Uraraka-kun wrong and that we ought to do better, it shall be a disaster of epic proportions if these atrocities were made public! Not to mention the retaliation we expect of their kingdom-"

_" _And Kanagawa's, as well," Ochako adds quietly. When the men in the room stare at her in confusion, she says, "... I am to be bethrothed to their Prince, you see."

Iida wails in disdain as Yoarashi goes "Aw man, you're engaged yer majesty?! I totally didn't expect that, I thought Hawks would at least kidnap someone who's single!"

Shouto, meanwhile, stares at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "I see. Then this just makes this situation worse, doesn't it."

"So ya mean-"

"Take her back. _In disguise, _" Shouto reiterates, eyes flashing with authority. "She has a kingdom waiting for her, and someone to come home to. It's unacceptable to steal that away from her because the King is so desperate to be rid of this curse on his heir."

Ochako feels a twinge in her chest hearing this from her captor, of all people. Who knew that he had a sentimentality to him, despite his cold aura? A part of her wants to tell them that she doesn't really want to come home to someone like Prince Neito, even though it is definitely more advantageous to pretend that she is.

"But what about-"

"All of this is the King's doing. And it will be his problem to solve." He gives them a look that tells them that the conversation is over.

Reluctantly, the two tall knights bow, and gesture for Ochako to follow them. Suddenly out of words to say, Ochako wordlessly follows them out.

Before the door closes behind them, Ochako glances over her shoulder to see the Prince with his back turned to them. He stares out the window, out in the rain. The demonic side of him shifts under the pale light of the moon, his claw flexing as if restless. His right hand keeps this still, as his human side grimaces in obvious pain.

Ochako wonders how it is to be so alone just as the door closes.

* * *

As promised, the two knights guide her to the underground, dispelling the barrier spells that Miruko has placed there hours ago. They lead her through twisting hallways and further downward in the sewers, where it's dark, damp, cold, and frightening.

"Worry not, Princess," the knight with glasses tells her in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "The journey may be long and arduous, but be assured that Yoarashi-kun and I will make sure that you will arrive past your own castle's walls safe and sound!"

She shivers within his cape. "Thank you, Sir Iida and Sir Yoarashi," she manages, with unease lingering in her voice.

"Don't mention it! It's the least we can do for ya," Yoarashi says cheerily. He takes off his own fur-lined cape and places this over Ochako. She finds herself swimming in the fabric, but significantly warmer than before. "I mean… it's real bad that we gotta do this a lot since the King really wants the Prince to get better… but it's all we can do, ya know? General Usagiyama and us, we just wanna protect the girls any way we can."

"General Usagiyama?"

"Yeah! Ah, other people call her Miruko. Or the Rabbit of Death," he answers. "Hey, ya met her already! She's the one who brought ya to the tower, right? She told us to standby and fetch ya from yer room so we can take ya out, but you weren't there!"

She feels a twinge of guilt in her chest upon realizing that Miruko has been trying to help her all along, and she almost ruined her plans because she was too suspicious of her. Almost _really _died along the way too, come to think of it...

"Man, were we surprised ta see that you went off on yer own and somehow ended up in the Prince's room! On his bed, even!" Yoarashi says with an amused guffaw. "I mean, beg yer pardon yer highness, the Prince told us what happened and it musta been scary for ya and all, but… for a moment, I thought you were it!"

She puffs her cheeks in annoyance. "His true love, you mean? That's impossible," she grumbles.

"Indeed, Yoarashi-kun," Iida replies, sounding despondent. "Prior to today's events, our prince and the princess have not known of each other's existence, so such a thing is incredibly unlikely! He has not known any of the women that were brought before him. And understandably, the women have not responded to the Prince as kindly as you have…"

Ochako stares at him incredulously. "Kindly? I wasn't being kind earlier… Weren't you nagging me for bein' rude?"

Iida's eyeglasses flash in annoyance. "You were indeed being rude, Princess Uraraka-kun! It is unseemly for a Princess to act that way and you know it!"

She pouts in the way that she does when Yaomomo tells her off for being unladylike. The two of them would be friends in a better world, she thinks, and would be an unstoppable force in manners should they ever meet.

"But," Iida continues with a sigh, "... you certainly are the first who could stand to look at his… _deformity _for as long as you did."

"The cursed part of him, you mean?" Ochako asks.

"Yes." Iida replies with emotion. His hand tightens at his side as his face twists with _hurt. _"I could not stand to hear anyone call my Prince a _monster… _it is utterly _horrible _what he goes through everyday with that curse consuming him, and to tell him that he isn't human to his face-"

"Yeah, but the Princess didn't call him that!" Yoarashi says with a bright smile directed at Ochako. "Gotta say, it's awesome when ya called it a black-thing-on-yer-face after everything that happened! I never thought I'd see _anyone _have the guts to do that!"

She winces as she remembers that moment. "Well… I didn't wanna show him I was afraid, so…"

"Yeah, and look at what happened! I've never seen him look at anyone like he did for ya before, ya know! It's intense! It's fired up!" Yoarashi looks overexcited, limbs going all over the place as he continues to _gush. _"And holding your hand like that, ain't that what they call _chemistry? _Can ya blame me for feelin' a little hopeful for the two of you back there?"

Why is this guy being so cheerful about this?! And chemistry, what is he talking about, didn't he take her hand to establish dominance and nothing else? Didn't they almost kill each other back in the room?! Affronted, Ochako buries her suddenly hot face into the capes and complains, "That ain't chemistry! And that doesn't change things between us," she adds with a sigh. "I don't think I can love your prince. I'm sorry."

Ultimately, Prince status or not, magic or not, _curse _or not, there's just no way she could be forced to love someone even though they desperately needed it. She doubts that anyone will be able to. And even then, will the Prince learn how to love a stranger back? Marriages might be forced, but love cannot.

"It's sad, but it is just as the Princess says," Iida concurs. "It truly is unlikely-an impossibility, I daresay-to expect any of these women love the Prince under such circumstances, and he in return…"

Yoarashi lets out a very long, exhausted sigh that sends a strong draft of wind rushing through the tunnels in front of them. "Yeah, I know… I just thought that maybe this time, we didn't have to do this, and the kidnappings would stop, ya know?"

Ochako looks up at him in curiosity. "Wait. So after this is over, King Enji's gonna do the same thing over again?"

The knights look at each other with obvious reluctance before looking down on their feet in shame.

She shakes her head. "No way… and you're just going to let this happen?"

How many women has this kingdom taken from their homes, their families? How many of those families are still looking for them, not knowing that they're forced to abandon them for good? How many more women need to go through this before King Enji is satisfied?

And how about the Prince? How many of this so-called 'deaths' does he have to oversee before he's had enough? How long does he have before the curse consumes him completely?

"We have very little choice in the matter, Princess," Iida tells her with a sense of defeat. "General Usagiyama and the two of us in the Princeguard are already risking our lives by going against the King's orders. But right now this is all that we can do for our Prince. We also wish for a better way, but…"

She knows that the two knights are not at fault-after all, they're just soldiers for this kingdom, and no matter how much they disagree with their King, the King is the King and orders are orders. She also knows that the Prince isn't at fault. He didn't ask to be cursed, he didn't ask to be locked in this tower until it's lifted, he didn't want to pretend to kill so many women just to get them out of Endeavor's clutches.

She knows this, yet a bitter resentment fills her mouth and her heart for the injustices yet to happen. "Then you have to think of a better way! You can't let another person go through this again! And you can't let the Prince-"

He looked so _alone _when they left him there that it was physically painful to see-

"Princess," Yoarashi begins, perhaps in an attempt to placate her, but he doesn't get a chance to do so. In the next moment, his eyes are flashing and he's shouting for the princess to get down, his large frame suddenly jumping in front of hers to shield her from something.

She hears the sickening sound of something stabbing through flesh before she can get a word out. Yoarashi yelps in pain, but remains standing. "Iida!" he yells, as his large gloved hand goes up and begins to summon air.

Without another word Iida runs at the speed of light at the source of the assault, his sword ready to attack. He doesn't get far before Ochako sees him fall down with a cry, body dropping to the sewage water with a loud splash that echoes threateningly all over the tunnels. In the darkness she sees slivers of red flying from the ceiling, falling down on the knight like arrows-

_Feathers, _she realizes, her heart stopping in her chest.

"Iida! Dammit!" Yoarashi cries as more feathers fly towards his direction. The wind that he summons isn't enough to make them disperse, and Ochako watches in horror as the large man falls on the ground with another great splash.

Two feathers float in front of her face, aimed at the center of her irises. Out of the shadows, the wielder of those feathers emerges, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"Evening, gents," Hawks drawls, glancing carelessly at the fallen and groaning bodies of the Princeguard. "I understand that it's a beautiful, stormy night and all, but I didn't imagine you would spend that committing treason."

She hears Iida sputter from his spot on the floor. "Lord Hawks-please, do not harm her-"

Hawks snorts and regards Ochako with a lazy smile and ruthless red eyes. "Harm the Prince's true love? Now why would I do something as dastardly as that?"

And yet the feathers remain in front of her face, sharp points floating closer and closer until they're just a millimeter away from the surface of her eyes and she'd cut her eyelids if she blinked. She tries in vain to will her feet to move away, but she's frozen in fear.

Hawks grins at her cheerily. "No, I don't think I can harm her. Not when I'm _sure _she was just staying nice and quiet up in the tower, waiting to meet Prince Shouto and fall in love? That is, until Miruko's _trusted knights _came and took it upon themselves to steal her away, just as they have for the other ladies-"

His voice is cloying, but Ochako understood everything in painful clarity: not only is he accusing Iida and Yoarashi of treason, but their General as well. And as she watches more feathers descend from the sky and fall upon the knights, he means to _kill them for it. _

"No, stop!" Ochako cries in despair. "They didn't do anything wrong! Please, don't hurt them-"

"Hm?" Hawks asks innocently. "So what's going on here exactly, Princess? Were you really trying to escape?"

She swallows nervously-angrily. "It doesn't matter what I was doing, but… the two of them are taking me back to the tower."

The feathers freeze, and inch away from their victims one by one. Iida and Yoarashi gape at her incredulously at her proclamation, while Hawks raises two feathery eyebrows in interest.

"That's funny, Princess. You seem to be going in the wrong direction," the blonde man says with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter. We'll soon be walking to the right one," she says, voice oddly strong and sure even though she can't quite believe what she's saying.

She weighs all the options desperately in her head-_ should she stay or should she go _-if she manages to survive this dangerous encounter at all and escapes, there are only going to be more victims-these people who are trying to do what they can are going to be executed as traitors-there is to be war between the countries-there'll be blood on her hands…

"I'll need them to bring me back so… so I can meet his highness properly."

The Prince will remain cursed and alone, with nobody to save him.

"Princess Uraraka-kun," Iida says in disbelief. "Surely you don't mean-"

She doubts that she will be enough to save him, but… has anybody ever tried before?

And so, swallowing all logic, sense and fear down her throat, she stands her ground and shakily meets Hawks' eyes. "I'm meeting the Prince."

"Great," Hawks says, turning to the knight with a flash of his eyes. "There you have it, gents. I suppose I can forgive the two of you for getting lost in these sewers, but you'll lead the Princess to the right way, aren't you?"

The feathers float back to his back, allowing the two knights to stumble to their feet. They're bleeding at some points and their clothes are torn, but they seem to be alive and well, without any fatal damage.

They salute Hawks, who sees them off with a wave of a hand. "It's pretty late and we all need to be getting to bed. Sweet dreams, everyone!"

And as suddenly as he appeared, Hawks deftly disappears in the shadows.

The two soldiers march up to her as soon as Hawks is gone. "Princess, are you all right?" Yoarashi asks, without any seeming regard for the large bleeding gash on his shoulder.

"Y… yes," she says, with a betraying tremor in her voice.

Iida glances at the shadows behind them and asks her in a careful, low voice, "Is this really all right, Princess Uraraka-kun? This is a major deviation from the task given to us by our highness!"

"We have… other ways to get around him, your highness," Yoarashi adds in the softest voice she's ever heard from him. "It's a gamble, but you still have a choice not to…"

And if she does, they're facing certain death as traitors and they know it. But they're still giving her a choice. There's something to be said about their loyalty and their conscience.

She shakes her head. She's had to face a lot of situations, 'choices' without any real choice, hasn't she?

She faces them with a strong sense of conviction, and tells them her choice.

* * *

Shouto closes his eyes, willing the pain to go away from his left arm.

The curse has always been a source of unbearable pain. When the form of his left side shifts with each new crack of skin, he feels the heat like lava seeping from his flesh. He gets the urge to burn something, to destroy things. He hates having to act like an animal, hates having to be locked in this tower day after day so that his destructive tendencies only affect this space, but at least he hurts no-one in his solitude.

He looks his claw. He didn't mean to hurt her when she fell, but he had no choice but to use his power to grab her before she crashed to the rocks below. He hates how the monster-side of him celebrated at the sight of her blood flowing from her wounds and flooded the floor. He hates how dangerously close it came to consuming more of his human side when he saw her in pain. It's a good thing that he remembered some minor healing spells he could cast with his right side.

Even better still that the monster side of him suddenly decided to calm down when she fell in his arms in a heap.

_Strange, _he thinks, as the claw flexes and unflexes, still painful but not as searing as before. The pain is kinder to him when the princess was close to him. The knowledge of her leaving this place in one piece and returning to her own castle in one piece somehow helps to stave the usual burning pain off.

He never would have guessed that the daring young woman who would rather fall to her death and remain nameless than to wait in her prison quietly was a crowned princess. He thought that someone so brave and plucky, dressed in men's clothes, would be nothing more than another peasant girl that Hawks picked up from the streets.

What possessed him and that stupid King of theirs to decide to kidnap royalty? Do they think that true love discriminates by social class?

Doesn't he know that whoever it is, it's impossible for anyone to love him? Forget his looks or the curse, is there anyone in the world who can love someone as damaged as him?

Is there anyone who would even think of staying with him?

Thinking of the King removes the calm in his heart, and another surge of pain consumes his left side. He bites the inside of his cheek and lets the wave pass. Damn, keeping his emotions stable has been difficult as the days pass. He wonders when the blissful day comes that he wakes up and sees that the curse has finally consumed his right side too. At least he wouldn't be in pain anymore, and the King would finally stop bothering him about this.

_Why would you do this, Mom, _he thinks once more, as the last vestiges of the pain fade away. _I know he hurt you, but… _

He lets out a long-suffering sigh and stands up from his favorite spot for brooding by the window. It's no use to ask himself questions that will never be answered. There are more useful things he can do in this prison of his, like reading a book or ripping it apart or burning it just so to see how much fire a volume can withstand before it burns to a crisp. There's another volume of the King's biography here somewhere…

As he walks to where he keeps the tortured volumes, he hears footsteps thudding along the winding staircase outside. He recognizes the heavy steps of Iida and Yoarashi, but there's another set of them, quick and light and almost floating over the steps and to the outside of his door-

The moment his door bursts open and she comes in, buried in capes, out of breath, and anxious, the left side of his body suddenly _cools. _

They stare at each other in silence, with only Princess Uraraka's ragged breaths between them. Cautiously, he comes closer to her, making sure that this isn't a complex hallucination caused by his prolonged isolation.

She comes forward, and he feels her warmth from the closing distance. When she's at an arm's length away from him, she swallows nervously and looks at him-_ both sides _of him, he's sure-and takes a deep breath.

"So… I changed my mind," she tells him within the wash of odd feelings coursing through his cursed side. "I'm staying here with you."


	4. Resolve

**To The End, With You  
Chapter 4: Resolve**

* * *

Ochako wakes up in a bed she doesn't know, in clothes that aren't hers.

The smell of the bed is all wrong, the softness of the pillows much too plush than what she's used to-which is saying a lot because she is a princess, not unused to luxuries. When she moves her body, a familiar soreness overtakes her limbs and her head begins to spin.

Above her, she sees a stone ceiling, fancy bedposts, shelves filled with a mess of books in the far distance. There's also the burnt things and the ashes floating with the dust upon the bars of sun through the window.

It only confirms that last night isn't a nightmare, and that she's far from home.

She sits up carefully, rubbing her eyes with a hand covered by the overly long sleeve of a borrowed shirt. It feels like she's peering over the edge of the earth when she searches for him across the vast expanse of the bed.

His eyes are closed as he reclines on a chair next to the bed. A human arm is crossed over a scaly black one with long claws. He breathes quietly, unmoving, claws gleaming in sunlight. His monster ear twitches a few times that seemed strangely cat-like.

When one eye opens abruptly, she realizes that she's staring at her reluctant captor for far too long. "Prisoner or not, it's rude to stare, Princess."

She may be rude, but he's one thousand times more… ruder! "Well... pardon me for breathin'!"

"You're excused," Prince Shouto replies blankly, making her grit her teeth in annoyance. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I expected on my first night as a hostage, thanks. Your bed's real soft, as expected from a fancy prince."

"You're welcome," he says, unfazed by her sarcasm. "I must ask you to get up from there to dress out of my clothes and into the ones provided for you downstairs. Now, please, before you cause us trouble for appearing like that."

Ochako looks down on the silk shirt covering her and instantly the events of last night catch up with her. Her shirt had been torn into shreds. She's had to trudge in sewer waters underneath two heavy capes to cover herself. There were feathers flying, blood, falling knights. There was her, running breathless back up the tower, facing the Prince, telling him that she's staying as she clutches the capes around her bare shoulders-

-after which the Prince walked stiffly around the room, procured a shirt for her, and told her flatly to cover herself and rest. Not a question, or a thank you, or even the slightest bit of reaction. Not even a single condescending comment about how stupid her plan was. It's annoying.

"Oh, sorry for causing you trouble, highness," she grumbles, unbuttoning the shirt as violently as she can. "I thought you let me borrow this outta the goodness of your heart. Guess I was wrong!"

His eyes open a fraction wider in interest. "That isn't what I meant, Princess."

She ignores him and throws the offending garment on the bed, which earns her a long suffering sigh from him. "Princess, my intention was to allow you to freshen up in your room downstairs so you could wear something more appropriate than my night-shirt. Please cool your head and put that back on until then."

"... _appropriate?!_" Who the hell does this guy think he is?! "I mean you only made your knights destroy my clothes. So fine, let me give you what you want, stupid Prince!"

His eyes flash menacingly when she says _Stupid Prince. _Coldly, he says, "It's up to you. I just thought that you don't want anyone getting the wrong idea about last night."

Just as she's about to retort, she finally becomes aware of the footsteps echoing up the tower and the three crisp knocks on the door. A gentle voice new to her ears calls out, "Shouto? It's me. Can I come in?"

_A woman? _Ochako thinks in panic, body freezing and jaw dropping stupidly as she is suddenly at a loss on what to do.

She hears the Prince huff quietly, stepping towards her and picking up the discarded shirt along the way. Without hesitation, he helps her into the obviously oversized shirt, fingers and claws flying over cloth and brushing over her skin in precise movements. "Give us a minute, _onee-san, _" he calls out.

A different voice, much louder and achingly familiar to her ears, bellows from outside. "_ Us?! _Is she there with you?! Shouto, what's going on?"

Before he can say another word, the door literally bursts open with a lick of flame, revealing King Enji and a group of women behind him. Ochako recognizes General Miruko, with her rabbit ears twitching tensely at the sight before them. She stands behind a well-dressed, shocked woman with white hair, littered with streaks of blood red, and another woman with light brown hair and a servant's uniform.

The King glowers at the two of them, frowning at where the Prince's hands lingered at the silk over Ochako's collarbone. "So-you've gone so far, after just one night? How indecent, Shouto!"

Ochako instantly feels like sinking to the center of the earth.

Another suppressed sigh escapes from Prince Shouto's mouth. "It's none of your business, your grace. Good morning , by the way. I apologize for the mess-I didn't expect you to grace me with your presence on such an ordinary day as this."

"Shouto," the woman with white hair says gently, cutting off whatever King Enji is supposed to spit out next. "You're right about us barging in on you two. I sincerely apologize, especially to you, Princess Ochako."

"Oh," she squeaks, thrown off by how gracious and kind the white-haired woman is. "No, I definitely don't look appropriate, so…"

Unfortunately, the irony doesn't escape her. She could practically feel the Prince's yellow monster eye glaring at her judgmentally.

"Of course not. I know you've had a rough night." She steps in the room and takes one of Ochako's hands-her touch is cold, but comforting. "My name is Fuyumi. I'm Shouto's older sister. Thank you for helping my little brother. I know the decision isn't easy."

Ochako smiles weakly, trying to ignore the seething king behind her. Her heart ached to say that yes, it wasn't an easy night at all, but she held the words back. "Thank you. Prince Shouto received me well," she decides on saying eventually.

"Too well, it seems," quips King Enji with a displeased grunt. "Not that it seems to have fixed you, or done anything to the curse. Or has it, Shouto?"

The Prince scowls, but doesn't say anything.

"A failure, then," King Enji declares, glaring sharply at Ochako. To General Miruko, he says, "It means that there's no meaning to this woman staying here. Take care of this. Quickly."

"Your grace?" the General asks, voice careful and neutral.

"I have no room for failures in my kingdom," he answers simply.

Ochako's insides begin to churn as her eyes dart from the stern, cold look in the King's eyes, the General's hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her hip, the angry and purposeful forward step of the Prince next to her-

Fuyumi, suddenly authoritative, snaps her head to them. "_ Father. _Don't be hasty. It has only been a night. Surely you don't expect this to be magically fixed so quickly!"

"Of course I expect the curse to be _magically fixed, _" grumbles the King, "It's a bloody curse asking for true love, how else would it be fixed other than magic?!"

Unexpectedly, the woman who was otherwise standing by quietly behind Fuyumi begins to speak, so shockingly casual amidst the tension of the room that Ochako has to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor again. "That's what we're sayin', my King, my liege, my boss-man. You can't rush love!"

Tossing her amber hair behind her, the servant ambles carelessly to where the stunned couple stands and throws her arms around them. "And it needs to be true love, right? You need the magic to happen between these two before the magic happens to the Prince, so I think the best way to make the magic happen is to let it happen, in the most natural way possible. See-what-I'm-sayin'?"

A muscle under Enji's right eye twitches violently. "Fuyumi, _what _is this disrespectful, ill-mannered _commoner _who dares speak to me this way?!"

"Father, don't be rude to Lady Utsushimi. She isn't a commoner, she's an important member of my entourage," Fuyumi tells him sternly. "And Camie dear, perhaps speak less casually? You are in the presence of the King, after all."

"Wh-_ I'm _rude?! She's the one who-"

"Sorry your grace. Sorry princess...es. Sorry, Prince Shou. Not trynna be rude, promise," the woman called Camie says with an easy going laugh that has no fear in it whatsoever. "But you gotta admit, I make a lot of sense, yeah? There's _no way _these two are gonna fall in-love with each other in just one night. That's fairy tale stuff, I mean, you guys _hardly _know each other. In real life, people need trust and oodles and oodles of steamy hot _skinship _before-"

"Enough, Utsushimi," Prince Shouto interrupts sternly, removing himself from under the woman's arm. "Despite the unnecessary details, you make a sensible point. I wonder if the King understands as much."

The glare he sends the King's way is as sharp as daggers. For a time, Enji stares back at him in silence.

"You don't have a lot of time left, Shouto," he says, voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"I know," Shouto answers. "It also means I don't have a lot of time to waste."

"You might already be wasting your time," Enji implores through grit teeth. Glaring at Ochako, who tries her hardest not to glare back because of how insulting the wrinkle in his brow deepens, he says, "This woman might not be right for you."

After all he put her through, this man has the absolute _gall _to look at her like she's garbage?! Anger flares up from the pit of her stomach. "Well, didn't you choose me for him, your majesty?" she quips before she can stop herself. "If I'm not right for him, then it's your mistake, isn't it?"

She resists the urge to clap her hand over her mouth when Enji glares at the audacity. "Exactly. If you are a mistake, it falls on me to fix it."

Lip trembling, Ochako keeps her chin up and says, "I don't plan on being a mistake. Because your son and all those women and everyone else involved in this mess deserves better."

The room falls silent. She knows how uneasily the other women are staring at her, like how anyone would look at a landslide waiting to happen. She knows that King Enji might literally burn her alive with how intensely he's staring at her.

But all she could feel is the Prince's mismatched eyes on her. Maybe he doesn't mean to, but his curious gaze is heavy on her. She tries not to shake under his gaze.

After a long beat of silence, Enji exhales wearily. "We will know when the time comes, won't we, Princess Uraraka?"

The King turns, taking all the thick tense air with him. General Miruko salutes them and quietly trails behind the king, leaving a glaring Shouto, an exhausted Fuyumi, an unaffected Camie, and a drained Ochako whose head is spinning from her outburst.

"Wow, Princess Ocha, talking back to the King on your first day," Camie says with a teasing smile on her full mouth. "Color me impressed. I think I heard the sound of Prince Shou here falling in-love. Might not take long for this curse to get kicked in the butt, huh?"

Fuyumi reprimands her quickly. "Camie, you talked back to the King a fair amount too! And you as well, Shouto! Why can't any of you mind your manners in front of him?"

"I'm sorry," Ochako says weakly, cheeks burning. "I shouldn't have said anything…"

"Don't be sorry," Prince Shouto tells her bluntly. "That old man deserved that and more."

"_Shouto._"

"He threatened to kill her," the Prince points out. "It's good that it's General Usagiyama who went with him this morning, and not Hawks. He would have killed the Princess where she stood, no questions asked."

Ochako shudders thinking about the straw-haired man. It's too easy to believe what Shouto says about Hawks after what she went through last night.

Fuyumi sighs. "I know. We really need to apologize to you, Princess, don't we?"

Ochako stammers, "N… no, it's not your fault, Princess. I'm sure this wasn't your idea…"

The white-haired woman smiles sadly, onyx eyes shining in shame. "No, it wasn't my idea. But all of the scheming and plotting and… and _kidnapping _happened under my nose, and I didn't do enough to stop it, so…"

Camie makes a frustrated noise behind her. "Of course you can't, Princess Fuyumi. You were too busy running the kingdom on behalf of King Daddy, right?"

"That's not an excuse. And please, don't call him that," the white-haired princess says, nose wrinkling in distaste. Shouto makes a similar face. "Princess, based on your brave words earlier, you have every intention to help us with Shouto's… _affliction." _

"Yes."

"Knowing full well what it entails?"

_True Love. _They have been saying it over and over since she got here, after all. Ochako sighs. "... yes, I do."

Fuyumi looks at her carefully. "I know you're doing this out of kindness, Ochako, but this isn't an easy thing we are asking of you. You would be giving up your life for us."

The reminder is painful, but Ochako only nods in understanding.

The pale woman smiles at her gently. The kindness in her gaze almost drives Ochako to tears. "Thank you for this, princess. Know that I and Shouto will take care of you, whether you change your mind or not. Now then…"

She clears her throat and motions for Camie to come closer. "I've asked lady Utsushimi to wait on you, Princess. She will stay with you in the quarters below and help you with anything you might need from now on."

"Yep! We'll start with clothes. You did a number on all the dresses I picked out for you, Princess Ocha," Camie says with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "Though I have to admit, Shou's shirt on you? Real sexy~"

Ochako's beet red before Camie is done, but luckily Fuyumi speaks over her. "Camie, dear, you _will _dress her starting today, please. I'm counting on you tonight as well."

As Camie puffs her cheeks after being reprimanded, Shouto looks at his older sister in as much confusion as Ochako. "Tonight? What's happening tonight?"

Fuyumi looks at him with a mysterious gleam in her eyes. "Well… we have to convince Father that we're actually working on you two falling in-love with each other, so I had to come up with _something... _"

"Something." Prince Shouto's monster ear twitches uneasily.

Camie smirks. "I helped Princess Fuu plan this out~ the two of you have a long night of fiery passion to look forward to~ well, not as fiery as me an' Tenya have _every night, _but-"

"Camie, you're scaring them," Fuyumi says. Despite this, she looks at the flustered couple in amusement. "And don't implicate Sir Iida like that. The man's terrified of you as it is."

"Maybe so, but I'm gettin' closer and closer to having a steamy night of my own~," the servant girl says with a mischievous grin before taking the anxious Ochako's arm. "So! I'm gonna give the Princess here a makeover you won't forget. Prince Shou, I gotta steal her from you for just a few hours, 'kay?"

Ochako feels mismatched eyes burning over her skin and the buttons of the borrowed shirt. For a long moment she wonders if he'll demand to have his stupid shirt back again, or if he's going to say something rude to her. Like _I don't care, do what you like. _He would be so blunt.

"I'll leave it to you, Utsushimi. Princess Uraraka, I look forward to seeing you tonight."

He bows in the most princely way she's ever seen. She gives in to the impulse to curtsey back, even though she is only wearing a dress shirt. "I'll see ya-I mean, I look forward to this as well, your highness," she stammers back.

Soon, Camie is dragging her out of the room with a teasing smile on her face and obvious inappropriate thoughts. Ochako manages another glance at Shouto and the unreadable line of his mouth.

* * *

As promised, Camie takes care of Ochako in the little room that Miruko brought her last night. Camie surprisingly allows her to stay in Shouto's shirt for a few more hours, prioritizing any injuries that might need healing and feeding her. The girl lets out a whistle at the traces of burns on Ochako's arm, but is convinced that the healing magic that the Prince cast on her will eventually remove them for good.

"For now, I'mma use my own magic to cover that up." Camie purses her lips together and lets out a puff of air that covers Ochako's arm and makes it glow like porcelain. "See? Good as new. Now babes, I know you love that shirt, but you gotta get rid of it like, right now. We got work to do."

Ochako blushes. "I-I don't love this stupid old shirt," she mutters petulantly as she strips down.

"Mhm," Camie says, making a show of being unconvinced, before thoroughly having her own way with Ochako.

She wonders how long the servant-girl needs to make her presentable enough for the Prince of this country because she's sure that the sun is still up when they start the makeover. The serious look on Camie's face tells her that it's going to take them until sundown to finish.

She throws Ochako in a bath, scrubs her free of dirt, and covers her in fragrant oils. Then, she's tied up in a corset and made to wear about five different gowns, all of them lavish and rich and fit her like a glove. It takes a while for Camie to be satisfied, but when she finally is, she works on Ochako's hair, which takes hours and a hundred pins, and finally her face, which require an array of powders and rouges that looked like an Alchemist's workspace.

When the servant girl is done with her, the sun is already setting. She grins at the princess in satisfaction. "Well look at you, Princess. You are _stunning. _"

For the first time in the hours that they're together, Camie brings her excitedly to the mirror to show her the fruits of her labor.

Now, as a Princess of a kingdom (albeit a poor one), Ochako is used to being primped and dressed in luxurious garments of all sorts of styles and fashions. She is used to seeing her plain, round face transformed into a beautiful facade fit for any royal gathering. But she isn't prepared to see herself then-a dress that showed more skin than she's used to, in a shade of royal blue with stones that sparkle like the stars. Her hair is done up in an elegant bun, exposing the skin of her shoulders and back. She doesn't remember her eyes looking as dark and mysterious as they did then.

She looks _beautiful _, more than she can ever imagine. But…

"Yeah babe?"

All of this was designed to trick a Prince into falling for her. To trick a King into letting her live for one more day. To trick this kingdom into keeping the peace for a little while longer.

"Oh, baby..." Camie faces them away from the mirror and crouches to meet her brown eyes, all while she's trying her best not to feel pathetic and ruin Camie's hard work with her tears. "Sorry, I totes didn't notice that you were having a hard time. I shoulda been more sensitive."

She wanted to tell her that she's one of the first genuinely kind people she can trust in this castle, and that none of this was her fault, but Ochako can only say so many words. "I'm okay, Camie. I'm just… overwhelmed, but… thank you so much for treating me well."

Camie smiles at her warmly. "Princess, you're one of the bravest girls I've ever seen, so of course I'm gonna treat you well."

Was she really brave? All she's doing is letting others push her into things to keep on surviving.

Putting a sparkling diamond teardrop over her earlobe, Camie's gaze drops, white teeth chewing a full lip thoughtfully. "You know… you have no idea how hard it's been on all of us. Me and Tenya and 'Nasa… we met a lot of girls before you, and had to pretend to do terrible things to them, make them get rid of their names… it's an awful thing to lose your name, but before that, we didn't have the luxury of just pretending to do those terrible things, y'know? But we do it because we care for Shou. No-one deserves the pain he's going through, even though he seems convinced that he does…."

Manicured fingers tighten over Ochako's shoulders. Stunned, she can only watch as Camie looks back at her with watery eyes.

"Thank you… for not running away. You're giving us a lot of hope," the servant girl says with a pained smile. "Please take care of the Prince."

She isn't sure how it happens, but suddenly she's in Camie's arms and she's embracing her back. She feels the other woman's heart thudding in her chest and feels the honest trembling in her hands.

In the end, Ochako doesn't know if she's doing the right thing, but she does know that she needs to do her best.

* * *

Night falls. Sir Iida escorts her from her room and out of the tower, Camie following close behind. It's a little disorienting being out and walking so freely, among bright flowers that glow under strings of electric lights hanging all over a secret garden that makes her wonder if she's walked into a dream. It's certainly not a treatment reserved for a prisoner, that's for sure.

"You are no prisoner, Princess Uraraka Ochako-kun!" Sir Iida declares with a meaningful flash of his glasses. "You are an esteemed guest and marriage candidate of the crown prince of Shizuoka! Please adjust your conduct accordingly!"

Camie guffaws, especially when Ochako scowls specifically to irk him. "Tenya, my man, don't kill the vibe, aight? Shou already likes her plenty. She's gonna do great."

Burning her arm off and treating her like a dead girl doesn't sound like he 'likes her plenty'. "I highly doubt that," she mumbles under her breath, not bothering to cover her doubt.

Sir Iida frowns. "Do not doubt the Prince! Being of the highest nobility and impeccable upbringing, he will undoubtedly receive you with all the grace and refinement befitting a—"

"Sh—SHOUTO! Yer grace, I mean! Are ya stuck in the bushes?! I'm gonna grab yer butt now, pardon me in advance!"

Iida chokes mid-sentence upon a much louder bellowing from the other side of the garden.

"Don't. Please keep your hands away from my bottom, Yoarashi." Despite the words, Prince Shouto's familiar baritone flows smooth and undeterred from within a shrubbery where half his body is inexplicably hidden.

Sir Yoarashi meets eyes with Iida, panicked, and mutters to his Prince in the most discreet way he can, "Yer highness, can the cat wait? The Princess is here, you see, and she's seeing everything—"

Camie, who looks like she's about to lose her mind, laughs long and loud. She can't blame her-even though she's feeling pessimistic on the way to this place, Ochako suddenly has the urge to laugh along with her. But she shouldn't, she has to take this seriously...

Keeping a straight face gets harder when the heir to the throne is finally pulled free from the bushes and she sees him for the first time out of the tower. He's wearing fine garments, dark blue with fine golden embroidery shaped like flame and frost. His hair is done up differently and his scales are buffed up and shined. All in all, he looks more princely than he's ever looked.

This is despite the fact that he's covered in twigs and leaves while a claw is gently cradling a befuddled black kitten.

"Geez, yer highness! You get stuck in a tower for five years and the first thing ya do is run into the bushes to rescue a kitten?!" Yoarashi moans in disbelief. "Yer unbelievable!"

Unbelievable indeed. Is this really the Prince who almost killed her the night before?

Ignoring everyone else giving him shocked and judgmental looks, Prince Shouto gives all his attention to the kitten. With a little smile in the human side of his face, he mutters, "There, there. You're safe now."

The cat mewls, and Ochako swears that even his monster side soften at the sound. It's terribly, terribly _cute. _

Iida begins to sputter pleas at the Prince. It takes a while before he finally notices Ochako. "Ah. You're here."

"Your highness." She curtseys politely, only just noticing how warm her face is. She blames her utter weakness for anything cute, even big scary monsters who are _rude. _"Good evening. It's lovely to see you in good health, my Prince. I'm honored and grateful to be spending this evening with you."

It's the type of script Yaomomo has taught her to say in front of important people since she was young. Politeness is a weapon of the powerful, she says. Never lose your confidence in front of anyone. Don't let your guard down, no matter who you're facing. It's a lesson she's always taken to heart, even though Bakugou has other things to say about that topic.

Shouto eyes her, appearing regal even as Tenya indiscreetly plucks out leaves from his head and Yoarashi gently takes the kitten from his arm. How does anyone do that?! "Are you, Princess Uraraka? I have been expecting the contrary, considering what we went through last night and then things you told me this morning."

"Is that so? I already forgot about all that, so please, don't worry."

Prince Shouto's human side regards her dully. "I did not take you as someone forgetful."

She keeps her smile plastered on her face despite the suddenly awkward air between them. He isn't going to make this easy, is he? But Ochako can do it-just keep channeling Yaomomo, pretend she's here to scrutinize her every movement... "Maybe? Let's just say I know how to let bygones be bygones-"

To everyone's surprise, Prince Shouto clicks his tongue. "That isn't something that somebody who's kidnapped and almost murdered is supposed to say."

"Perhaps that is so, but that's hardly a proper topic to kick off such a lovely evening, isn't it?"

"Well this is hardly a proper evening, there's no need to be pretentious. It makes this farce less appealing, if I have to be honest."

_"-I'm just trying to make this work, you stupid prince! God! _"

_Pretentious?! _Is he serious?! Even though he's the Prince, who gave him the right to be so judgmental?! She's about to attempt another fake, polite line but then she sees Iida and Yoarashi's slack-jawed gazes at her and Camie clamping her mouth shut with a hand.

Oh, _great. _Instead of channeling her inner Yaomomo, she accidentally channeled Bakugou instead-the worst possible person she could channel in any situation that requires decent human interaction. Brilliant start, Ochako.

"I m-mean, I didn't mean to-" she starts to stammer, and _great _now it's her inner Deku fighting to the surface. There's no hope to this situation, this silly dinner that Princess Fuyumi tried to arrange out of the goodness of her heart is all for nothing…

"Stupid Prince, she says." Yet there's a gleam in Prince Shouto's human eye. "That's better."

Calling him Stupid Prince worked? Ochako looks on dumbly as Prince Shouto bows.

"I apologize for my hostility, your highness. Being cursed and locked up in that tower has not been good for my mood or my manners, but that's no excuse. In hindsight, I could have requested you to act as yourself in a better way."

"Act as myself," Ochako repeats, stunned.

"Yes," For once not appearing irritated, he looks onto her with amusement in his eyes. "I don't deal well with people being obviously dishonest in front of me. I understand that's the way people must act in the court, but we aren't in the court. I won't stop you from speaking your mind candidly, but I will not tolerate it if you pretend to be someone else."

Speaking her mind? Being herself? In front of a person much more powerful than she is? Those are exactly the opposite things Ochako has been taught as a princess. "I'm not sure if I can-"

Prince Shouto's ear twitches in interest. "Of course you can. You were honest in front of the King, weren't you?"

She knows she should maintain her composure but she figured that she's past the point of no return anyway. She puffs her cheeks in offense. "W… well, if someone tells someone with a sword to kill you, I mean, you'd be pretty honest too, wouldn't you?"

The Prince nods. "I'd be that and more, considering it's the King." He holds his human arm out for Ochako to hold, gesturing to the garden in front of them. "Shall we, your highness?"

She moves to take his arm as a polite princess would, but she freezes as the cold from within it emanates from underneath his coat-the claw that hurt her is on the other side of him, not escaping her view. She knows that the right side can heal burns, but what else can it do?

As if reading her mind, Prince Shouto takes his arm back without much preamble. "You don't have to hold on to me if you don't want to," he tells her, instead gesturing to the garden in front of them. "After you, Princess."

She nods, stunned once again about how odd this Prince is. He's been cold and mean since they met but then he becomes warm and understanding in a flash. At least she's never met someone of royal descent who gave her the option of _not _doing something if she doesn't want to, even if it's just as simple as holding on to an arm.

In the garden is a table full of all sorts of Western-style food that would have made the Ochako of the past squeal in joy-ham and steak and other things swimming in rich sauce at one end, and piles and piles of colorful sweets on the other end. The sight is enough to make her mouth water, but the scent of the food as she came closer made her stomach audibly growl so loud that the cat in Yoarashi's arm startles.

She flushes a deep scarlet as she clutches her traitorous stomach in embarrassment. Her mother would have told her off if this had happened in front of Prince Neito. "S-sorry, this is so unbecoming-" she stammers.

When Ochako continues to blush about it, Shouto places another slice of ham on her plate instead. And an entire potato. And a cruller.

"People get hungry. You shouldn't be embarrassed of something natural," is all he says when she stares at him incredulously.

Maybe he's right, but it's a little insulting when he pauses thoughtfully and adds a handful of strawberries and cream onto her heaping plate. Is this guy just mocking her?

"I'm not mocking you," he tells her calmly. "Please, eat. I'm also about to take advantage of this odd situation to indulge myself."

It's hard to be convinced of that when all he's having are Japanese-style cold noodles and a glass of sake. His food is such a mismatch next to Ochako's plate that all she can do is to look at him in disbelief. "Is that really indulging yourself, your highness?"

He shrugs as he slurps on his noodles.

The way he remains unsmiling makes Ochako doubt that, but he seems content just eating his simple food under the stars, so she isn't going to ask further.

The silence that follows is awkward, but amiable. Ochako focuses herself on finishing the small mountain of food that Prince Shouto has placed on her plate. It's disgustingly easy when everything tastes so good, and before she knows it she's down to her last strawberry and she's staring at her empty plate in shock.

"Ah, you're done."

_Oh dear, _Yaomomo's voice chides her softly in her head. _You must pace yourself when you eat, Princess. It isn't proper to finish your meal before your host does- _

"That's good. I was worried I put too much on your plate." There's a little lift of his lips as he pats his mouth neatly with a napkin. It looks like he finished just in time. "I think we should move on from dinner. They expect me to show you around the garden, if you'd like."

Ochako nods awkwardly. "That would be neat," she mumbles.

He doesn't offer his arm this time, but instead waits for her to walk up to his side. Yoarashi and Iida move to follow them from a distance until Shouto gestures for them not to.

What Ochako loved the most about walking in their smaller garden in Mie was the background noise. Yaomomo would ask her about what she's learned from her lessons with Dabi. Deku would murmur a thousand words about everything under the sun in the span of a minute. Bakugou would threaten Deku to shut the fuck up and trigger a cycle of apologies from Deku, angry shrieking from Bakugou, stern reprimands from Yaomomo, and a lot of free entertainment from Ochako if she goads any one of them to keep the cycle going.

But tonight is different, because she only has the eerily quiet Prince Shouto to keep her company. He keeps his pace slow to match hers, keeps his eyes to the front, keeps his mouth shut. He seems content to walk in the tomb-like quiet.

She can't keep this scary silence going. She desperately looks around them for something, anything to talk about. "This garden is lovely, your highness."

The Prince blinks. "Thank you, but it's the gardener's efforts, not mine."

"Oh. I guess you're right."

An awkward silence follows. Ochako coughs, and Prince Shouto excuses her.

_This guy isn't even making an effort to get a conversation going, _she thinks to herself, sighing internally. The walk is going to end with them not saying a word. Well, it's not like Ochako didn't try, but there's no way _True Love _is going to blossom out of something like this, much less a decent friendship.

So Ochako decides that she might as well entertain herself with the sights around them before the night ends. The garden really is beautiful, with a winding cobblestone pathway leading to ponds and alcoves and fountains. All sorts of flowers line the pathway in all colors-bright red mums and pink peonies, marigolds that somehow look more golden than the ones at home.

An unfamiliar flower glows blue from the corner of her eye. "Oh, this is beautiful," she says, bending closer to the ground to peer at it closer. "I wonder what this is? I've never seen anything like this before…"

She had expected the Prince to say something dull in response, but to her surprise he squats beside her, touching some of the petals carefully with his slender human fingers.

"Frostflowers," he answers quietly. "You won't find these outside of the castle. These are specially grown here for their magical properties, so the King wants a good supply of them around the castle. But I do agree that they're beautiful."

"I see. I didn't think you were the type of person to have a favorite flower, your highness."

He shakes his head. After a pause he says, "My mother…"

"Your mother?" Ochako asks.

A hush comes in the air around them. The fairy lights around them aren't bright, but Ochako doesn't miss the concerning way his left side shifts and reforms underneath his skin. He holds on to it subtly with his right-the action calms the shifting down somewhat, but just barely. Ochako wonders if she should step back.

Prince Shouto sighs, after a beat. "No, never mind."

The frostflowers seem to have made some uncomfortable feelings arise from within him-Ochako feels the cold of his hand sting hers when he helps her up from the ground. "I'm sorry. I don't… deal with certain things well," he tells her candidly.

Well-at least he's trying. She tries to give him a comforting smile. "It's fine, forget those, they aren't _that _pretty."

Shouto frowns at her. "Yes they are."

Ochako puffs her cheeks. "Well, they aren't, okay! There are other things we can look at without you being all gloomy and sad! I'm not gonna make this evening of ours be any more awkward than it is!"

Okay, she may be going overboard with speaking honestly, but he did say that she _should, _and at least that makes his face change from unnervingly blank to surprised. It's subtle, but it's better than nothing.

Looking around the garden, she spots another beautiful sight: red and white roses blooming beautifully under the moonlight. "Oh, these are wonderful… roses are beautiful too, they're my favorite," she gushes, touching some of the petals gently under her own fingers.

Shouto looks at her, and then the roses quietly. "Yes, they are, aren't they," he says.

"See?" Ochako smiles at him brightly. "All the flowers in your garden are lovely! They remind me of back home. When I was little, my mother used to make flower crowns for me. Now I make them for my friends-"

"Friends?" Shouto asks.

She catches herself. "Oh… I mean, my knights. The Princessguard." They _are _friends, even though Mother and Father don't approve of the term for a group of people who serve her. She clears her throat. "So… anyway, I use a lot of red flowers for Yaomomo, my general… orange for Captain Bakugou, and green for Sergeant Deku."

"Your friends have interesting names," Shouto says, strangely interested.

Ochako smiles. It's strange how good it feels to talk about them, even though it's painful and unreal to think about how she might never see them again. "Right? And they look great in flowers. Even Bakugou. He always yells at me for making him wear flowers, but I know he likes them. And Deku-kun, gosh, you should see him, he's the cutest! He looks like an angel!"

Shouto nods quietly. "How about you? Do you make something for yourself too?"

She shrugs. "Sometimes I do… but I don't most of the time. Yaomomo wants to make me one, even if she can't figure it out the last time I saw her… She's great at most things, but she's clumsy! All she can manage is to tuck flowers in my hair, but I like them just the same."

The pang in her chest gets deeper when she remembers the carnations that Yaomomo tucked behind her ear last summer-she supposes there's a point where missing someone becomes painful. She pauses before the tears begin to sting her eyes. When Shouto looks at her in concern, she busies herself looking for something else to talk about.

Ochako sees red and white blooming close together. Pointing them out to him, she says, "Neat, isn't it? It's just like your head!"

Shouto tilts his head, unconvinced. "My head isn't shaped like that."

"Gosh, I'm talking about the colors… stupid prince," she mutters under her breath. Here she is working herself to the bone to make this walk less awkward, and here he is making it more awkward!

She freezes when Shouto plucks the flowers right out of the bushes. Before she can ask what he's doing and if they're really allowed to take flowers from there, he carefully takes the thorns out of the stem with his claw, twists the blossoms together, and walks closer to Ochako.

Ochako's jaw drops when thoughtfully, he places the blossoms behind her ear. He takes his time fixing her hair, letting his fingers and claws brush gently against the skin of her cheeks and her ears. When he's done, he appraises her look quietly, monster eye glowing in interest.

"Your highness?" she whispers quietly.

He blinks himself out of a daze. When he comes to, he glances at his hands quickly as if surprised at what he did. "I'm sorry for being forward. You seemed like you wanted someone to do this for you again, so…"

_He's so awkward, _Ochako thinks for the umpteenth time, baffled at everything she's seen Prince Shouto do this evening. Is this really the terrifying prince that almost killed her last night? "Thank you, your highness," she stammers as her cheeks begin to burn.

He nods, giving her a relieved smile. It's easy to ignore the monster side of him when he has such a gentle look in his eyes. Despite herself, Ochako can't help but put her guard down completely.

When he offers his hand to her, she finally takes it.

To her surprise, having him close to her doesn't feel as threatening as it should be. Ochako even feels comforted by the proximity of his cold arm around hers. It makes her a little sad that she didn't take him up on his offer before.

So she _can _feel safe around the Prince after all. That's a start.

The silent walk definitely feels easier than the first terse moments. Before she knows it, they've reached the end of the cobblestone pathway and they're facing a small building next to the tower. From within the hall are paintings hanging along the wall. A hum of magic covers the entryways, shielding them from the elements outside.

"What's that?" she asks.

Shouto shakes his head. "They have not let me out of the tower for years. Your guess is as good as mine."

A prince who lives in the largest castle in the country, who doesn't even know its own intricacies. He's practically a prisoner in his own home. Something twinges in her chest upon the realization.

"Well… would you like to see?" Ochako offers. "I'm curious myself, but I can't do anything about the magic barrier unlike you, so…"

Shouto hums. "I guess it won't hurt."

They make their way to the entrance. Shouto puts his human hand up, and just like that the hum of magic disappears. He assists Ochako through the entryway and walks up to the first painting.

Above them, the face of Todoroki Enji looms-a fearful image in red and gold against the backdrop of fire. His blue eyes burn with determination. He holds a scepter in one hand, a flame in the other. He wears a crown on his head encrusted with rubies.

"Oh. It's him," Ochako says with a frown.

"Yes. Him," Shouto says, with similar distaste. He looks to Ochako in interest. "You, however, are terrible at hiding your disdain of his majesty, your highness."

She puffs her cheeks again. "Do you want me to, your highness? I can pretend to be more impressed."

"No, please continue to be disgusted by my father," the Prince says in amusement. She doesn't suppress her giggle.

They walk to the next painting, which is obviously Princess Fuyumi. She's painted in blues and whites against the background of snow. She smiles serenely as a much-smaller tiara rests upon her head. Ochako feels calm looking at her.

Next to Fuyumi is another man, painted against a similar icy background. He's a large man, similar in built to King Enji but with the white hair and dark eyes of Fuyumi. He's dressed in a blue military uniform and his expression is stern.

"Natsuo… my older brother," Shouto explains. When he quietly looks up at the painting, Ochako feels a new sort of heaviness enveloping his features. "I'm not sure if you'll meet him soon. I haven't seen him for years now."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

Ochako looks at him curiously. "Is he... missing?"

Shouto shakes his head. "No… not him. They just never told me where he went, that's all. I wasn't allowed to see him or Fuyumi, even before I was cursed. They let me see Fuyumi recently when she started acting as one of Enji's chief administrators. That's just how heirs are treated here."

He says it factually, like it isn't strange or cruel at all to grow up isolated from everyone else. So he's been a prisoner for far longer than she thought. The thought of it is lonely, but she tries not to let it show as Shouto leads the way further down the hall.

They pass by another painting-another woman who appears more mature than Fuyumi, but with the same snow-white hair, black eyes, against the backdrop of a snowy valley, a crown embedded with sapphires on her head and a dark veil over her features. "Is this the Queen? She's beautiful," Ochako says in the quiet echo of the hall.

"Yes." Something shifts in his left side again. He clasps his right hand quietly over his left arm.

"Are you all right?"

He nods. He avoids the painting's gaze as if the Queen were actually alive and moves on to the next one without another word, much to Ochako's surprise. It doesn't seem like a good idea to ask him further about the Queen then.

But the same thing happens under his skin when they move on to the next painting: a boy with red hair, blue eyes, painted against a backdrop of blue flames. His skin is pale, his expression unsmiling. He wears a black military uniform. He appears young in the painting, younger than Shouto.

Something about his face looks oddly familiar… _like the Professor back at home... _

"This was my oldest brother, Touya," Shouto tells her after a beat of silence. There's a subtle shakiness to his breath when he exhales-a small puff of frost escapes his mouth. "There's been… an accident. It's been twelve years."

Ochako bows her head quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I am too," Shouto says, and he sounds like he means it. His hand tightens further along his monster arm.

Ochako sees the tremors and how the claws begin to lengthen. "Your highness, are you really okay? We should head back to the garden to calm down-"

The Prince shakes his head. He stumbles forward, away from the late Prince Touya's likeness, and holds himself right before the last painting at the end of the hall. "It... it doesn't like me feeling things, but I can keep it under control. I can-"

He glances up and sees himself. Prince Shouto as he _should _look: his right side looks exactly like the Queen, while his left looks human.

Human. Not a monster. A look of despair comes over the Prince's features. Ochako steps forward, feeling an automatic urge to comfort him.

A low growl comes out of his mouth, obscuring his next words. Ochako steps back and away from him. "Prince… Shouto. I think we should call Sir Iida and Sir Yoarashi. Before-"

"I… I might hurt them." He chokes as another angered growl comes out of his mouth, his claw shaking and growing by the second. "I'll-I'll hurt you, Princess-leave before-"

Flame bursts out of his left side as another cry of despair comes out of the beast. The heat is so intense that she feels her skin tingle from a distance. She sees his clothes singe off and his own image begin to burn and melt.

"Prince Shouto!"

All of him-human and beast alike-look _pained _as the claw comes up to shred his image's face off. The despairing shrieks from his left side get louder and louder, piercing through Ochako's eardrums. In the beginning she doesn't understand a word that it's saying, but as she waits frozen just a step away from the fires, she hears its cries loud and clear:

_This isn't you! This isn't you anymore! Don't you dare-don't you even think about going back to the way you used to be! You're mine, Shouto! You're- _

Tears are streaming down the right side of his face. Ochako should get out-the fires are seriously beginning to hurt her-but she can't leave him like that-

She can't leave anybody who looks as pained as the Prince does right now-

She's stupid. She knows it, she tells herself in her head how stupid she is for doing what she's about to do next, but no amount of berating herself stops her body from moving by itself.

Jumping over flames and bits of charred, burning wood that have fallen from the tortured structure, she finds her way next to Shouto, who is struggling against himself. "Your highness!"

"Princess?!"

_IDIOT! _

She couldn't even disagree with the demon. Still, through her coughs and teary eyes, she reaches out to hold the Prince's right hand. "Your highness, I need to get you out of here too, you'll choke to death if you stay here-_ aahhh! _"

The monster claw grips her arm again. The searing pain is worse than the first time it happened. Ochako almost passes out from the pain, but she doesn't let go of the Prince.

"No-get out of here, you're going to get yourself _killed _-"

_YOU HATE HER, RIGHT? YOU HATE HER FOR STAYING. YOU HATE HER BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HER. LET'S KILL HER, SHOUTO. LET'S- _

"SHUT UP!" Ochako shrieks desperately. Before she can stop herself, she strikes Shouto's left side with her free hand.

_Wait. Did I just- _

She did. She punched the monster in the face, like an idiot. She doesn't even have time to scream in pain as her flesh hits the fires of hell burning on his face.

The contact burns the skin of her fist, but she knows it's a strong strike, given that she's a trained fighter. And she sees that it stuns both sides of the Prince, most especially the Beast side, whose yellow eye flickers into darkness for the briefest moment. The claw loosens around her burning arm to hold the side of his face.

She inhales sharply through gritted teeth as pain continues to shoot up and down her arm. It must be worth it, though-the fire abates slowly, slowly, and then quietly like nothing happens, all the fires recede beneath the scales, leaving Shouto and his wide eyes staring at her like she's mad.

Well… she probably is. Dabi has told her all about what can happen to an ordinary person trapped in fire. If the heat doesn't kill you, the lack of air will. Either way is painful, and you probably won't be lucky enough for the effects to happen fast or slow enough for you to not feel any sort of pain.

That's exactly what happens to her. Throat burning, eyes tearing, she collapses in front of the Prince and instantly blacks out once again.

She doesn't stay awake enough to feel the soothe of frost and snow falling down the burning hallway, killing all the painful flames away.

* * *

**AN: **_...! What, this updated? Oh my gosh. You guys I'm so sorry about how late this is, it's so embarrassing how long it took but it's so hard to write words! While editing I've noticed way too many other parallels to the other things im writing as well as heavily hinted OchaMomo, but I decided that those aren't necessarily bad things lololol! Safri's art is so neat, I almost dropped the cat scene but she made such cute art that I cannot get rid of it in good conscience-for you guys on FFNet, I invite you to drop by our AO3 accounts too to see the art! (JuniRiceBall and safri_artist respectively)  
Guhhhhhh but thank you so much for the kind comments despite the inactivity, they really helped me get out of this slump T_T - Juni_


End file.
